Comedic Playwrights Through History

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. This man won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925, yet went on writing plays almost until his death at the age of 94. He was one of the most influential music and drama critics of his time, and also wrote such plays as "Saint Joan", "Heartbreak House", "Man and Superman", and "Major Barbara". William Inge Ernst Toller George Bernard Shaw John Fletcher

2. He pioneered "comedy of humors" in 1598 with 'Every Man in His Humour' which showcased the follies of men in the hopes his audiences would see their own faults. Although he was a poet, he changed 17th century English comedies with "Volpone", "The Alchemist," and "Bartholomew Fair". Nicholas Rowe Robert Greene Douglas Hyde Ben Jonson

3. This man's real name is Jean Baptiste Poquelin, and is known for writing some of the most satirical, full-length comedies of all time. His most famous works are "Tartuffe", "The Misanthrope", "Amphitryon", and "The Miser". Answer: (One Word)

4. This man is known as the "father of Roman literature", yet was a non-Roman who was brought to Rome as a war captive from southern Italy. His mastery of Greek poetry and the Latin language helped him produce the first Latin comedy and the first Latin tragedy, both in 240. Seneca Philemon Aeschylus Livius Andronicus

5. This still-living comedy playwright is known for "It's Only a Play", "The Lisbon Traviata", and "Love! Valour! Compassion!". His 1987 work "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" was even made into a Hollywood movie 3 years later, which was mere peanuts to this man acclaimed for his black humor and social satire. Eugene Scribe John Guare Terrence McNally Arthur Laurents

6. He was the most highly regarded English playwright of the 18th century for his talent of unifying Restoration comedy together with that of the view of human nature. Although he was elected to Parliament, and in 1783 became secretary of the treasury, he still managed to write such masterpieces as "The Rivals" in 1755 and "The Critic" in 1779. Franz Grillparzer Richard Sheridan Richard Foreman Richard Cumberland

7. This man is considered as the last of the Restoration playwrights. Although he died in poverty, he was praised for "Recruiting Officer" and "The Beaux' Stratagem", for which he drew on his military experience to write them. George Farquhar Bertolt Brecht Dario Fo Jakob Lenz

8. This man was the first to write comedies in the Russian language. "The Brigadier" satirized the mania for all things French in 18th-century Russia while "The Minor" lampooned the ignorance which typified the provincial gentry in Russia. Mikhail Bulgakov Denis Fonvizin Anton Chekhov Leonid Leonov

9. He was the greatest comic dramatist of ancient times and wrote in a style known as Old Attic Comedy. Living from 445 BC to 385 BC, he is believed to have written more than 40 plays, including "The Acharnians", "The Clouds", "The Wasps", and "Plutus", along with plays commenting on the Peloponnesian War. Thespis Aristophanes Kyogen Menander

10. This Spaniard is best known for his 'pasos', or one-act comedies, and was the first in Spain to have stage comedies with any professionalism according to Miguel de Cervantes. Jacinto Martinez Guillen de Bellvis Pedro de la Barca Lope de Rueda

11. This man was the greatest comic dramatist of ancient Rome. His style of Greek New Comedy influenced on romantic drama in the West for centuries with "Stichus" and "Pseudolus". Voltaire Plautus Terence Sophocles

12. Born in 1877, this man's 1907 comedy "The Country Dressmaker" was a favorite of the Abbey Theater and is also known for the 1908 work "Pie-Dish" along with "The Magic Glasses". Christopher Marlowe Thomas Bernhard George Fitzmaurice Robert Ardrey

13. This director's comedy plays were some of the most successful plays on Broadway, including "My Sister Eileen" and "Guys and Dolls". He started out as a New York Times drama critic, and even while his plays (such as "Dulcy" and "To the Ladies") were gaining fame, he kept that job for 13 years. Roger Vitrac George S. Kaufman John Bale Sam Shepard

14. This man was a French playwright who authored more than 100 farces for the popular theaters of Paris. His 1709 work "Turcaret" was probably his only major success where the story was not drafted from a Spanish novel. Eugene Brieux David Rabe Alain LeSage Alfred de Musset

15. His work comprises of 36 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 narrative poems. His comedies include "The Comedy of Errors", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Much Ado about Nothing". Answer: (One Word)