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Name That Modern Play! Trivia Quiz

I love Shakespeare as much as the next person, but how about some time with the new guys? Here's a quiz about some 20th century playwrights you should know about.

A multiple-choice quiz by fancy_pants. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
fancy_pants

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
259,005

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
766

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 86 (7/10), Guest 31 (9/10), Guest 24 (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Edward Albee wrote this fascinating play about two married couples who have a very interesting evening together. What is its name? Hint

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Everyone Loves A Party

The Long Way Home

Zoo Story

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Samuel Beckett wrote which famous play about two men trying to fill the time until their lives have meaning? Hint

Singing in the Rain

A Clockwork Orange

The Game

Waiting for Godot

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. The incomparable Russian playwright Anton Chekhov penned, among many others, what tragic work about a family's disappointed hopes? Hint

Your Mother and I

The Three Sisters

A Dream Postponed

Fly Away Home

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Question 4 of 10

4. Athol Fugard must have been reading Donne when he came up with the title for his play about two prisoners who become friends during apartheid in South Africa. What is it called? Hint

The Island

For Whom the Bell Tolls

No Man's Land

Batter My Heart

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. If you know one modern playwright, you must know Henrik Ibsen, the author of "A Doll's House" and what other play about a frustrated housewife? Hint

Love's Labours Lost

Maria Ivanov

Hedda Gabler

Anna Karenina

6. Bertolt Brecht is the author of this well-known and highly regarded play about the sacrifices people make during war, the injustice of the aristocracy, and the role of music in story-telling. Which of these is it? Hint

The Catalyst

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

A Soldier's Story

My Country, My King

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. What timely play dealing with the Anglicization of Ireland did Brien Friel write? Hint

Past the Hedge

County Donegal

Translations

Mourning for Irish

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Arthur Miller is best known for his modern classic "Death of a Salesman", but he also wrote what complicated story which takes place in the mind of one man? Hint

The Mind's Eye

All My Loves

Adam's Curse

After The Fall

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Shelagh Stephenson wrote this recent play about three sisters who are each trying to deal with the death of their mother, and their relationship to her as they were growing up. What is its title? Hint

Bringing Her Back

The Memory of Water

Daughters

The Tin Box

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Robert Bolt wrote an historical piece about the life and death of Sir Thomas More. What is the name of his play? Hint

A Noble Man

The Quiet Hero

A Man for All Seasons

All the King's Men

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 17 2024 : Guest 86: 7/10
Mar 30 2024 : Guest 31: 9/10
Feb 28 2024 : Guest 24: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Edward Albee wrote this fascinating play about two married couples who have a very interesting evening together. What is its name?

Answer: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Virginia Woolf was the influential female author who wrote "A Room of One's Own," and committed suicide by putting rocks in her pocket and walking into a river.

2. Samuel Beckett wrote which famous play about two men trying to fill the time until their lives have meaning?

Answer: Waiting for Godot

Many critics have speculated that "Godot" is meant to stand for God, while others claim that existentialism is necessarily incompatible with belief in God.

3. The incomparable Russian playwright Anton Chekhov penned, among many others, what tragic work about a family's disappointed hopes?

Answer: The Three Sisters

Chekhov is the author of such other acclaimed plays as "The Cherry Orchard" and "Uncle Vanya."

4. Athol Fugard must have been reading Donne when he came up with the title for his play about two prisoners who become friends during apartheid in South Africa. What is it called?

Answer: The Island

The South African playwright is best known for his writings opposing apartheid. In 2005 the film adaptation of his novel "Tsotsi" won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

5. If you know one modern playwright, you must know Henrik Ibsen, the author of "A Doll's House" and what other play about a frustrated housewife?

Answer: Hedda Gabler

"Hedda Gabler" was first performed in Germany in 1891.

Answer: The Caucasian Chalk Circle

Brecht is more famous for his theatrical theories than his plays. He developed a method that is often juxtaposed with Stanislavsky and requires the audience and the actors to notice that theatre is taking place, and does not attempt illusion.

7. What timely play dealing with the Anglicization of Ireland did Brien Friel write?

Answer: Translations

Set in the 19th century, this 1980 play deals with language and its role in establishing culture and shaping recorded history.

8. Arthur Miller is best known for his modern classic "Death of a Salesman", but he also wrote what complicated story which takes place in the mind of one man?

Answer: After The Fall

"After the Fall" is generally considered to be a reflection on his experience of marriage to the film star Marilyn Monroe.

Answer: The Memory of Water

Despite their common experiences, the sisters' memories are at such variance that they cannot agree on the 'facts' of the life about which they are reminiscing as they come to grips with death.

10. Robert Bolt wrote an historical piece about the life and death of Sir Thomas More. What is the name of his play?

Answer: A Man for All Seasons

Thomas More, beloved servant of King Henry VIII was imprisoned and execute for his opposition to the King's divorce. The title comes from a quote about More from Robert Whittinton.

Source: Author fancy_pants

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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