American Theater and Playwright Innovations

What types of performances were common in American theater for a century before the rise of modernism?

• Realistic dramas and experimental plays

• Minstrel shows, Wild West shows, and English comedy imitations

• Greek tragedies and Japanese Noh theater

• Operas and ballets

Which playwright was among the first to introduce realism to American theater with plays like "Margaret Fleming"?

• Eugene O'Neill

• Henry James

• James A. Herne

• William Dean Howells

What was a significant influence on Eugene O'Neill's early life and later playwriting?

• His father's career in romantic melodrama and his family's struggles

• His studies at Yale School of Drama

• His time as a successful Broadway actor

• His work as a theater critic

Which of the following was an innovation introduced by Eugene O'Neill in American theater?

• Focusing solely on upper-class characters and their sophisticated dialogues

• Incorporating elaborate musical numbers and dance routines into his plays

• Introducing experimental techniques like characters voicing their internal monologues

• Writing plays that were exclusively lighthearted comedies

What was a primary goal of the Little Theater Movement?

• To produce popular, non-threatening plays for a wide audience.

• To make a lot of money by selling tickets.

• To offer alternative plays to the commercial theaters of the time.

• To exclusively stage European-inspired dramas.

Which of the following statements about the Provincetown Players is true?

• They started in Manhattan and later moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts.

• They primarily focused on staging plays by established Broadway playwrights.

• They were founded by Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook.

• Their main goal was to become a commercial success.

What makes Susan Glaspell's play "Trifles" an early example of feminist theater?

• It features only female characters throughout the play.

• The male characters are portrayed as more intelligent than the female characters.

• The women in the play are more perceptive than the men and solve the mystery.

• It explicitly advocates for women's suffrage.

How are Gertrude Stein's plays characterized?

• They are known for their strong plot and character development.

• They are traditional in structure and easy to follow.

• They feature repetitive language and can be described as "Cubist."

• They focus on realistic portrayals of everyday life.