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NSSCO Integrated Performing Arts 6150 study materials
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NSSCO Integrated Performing Arts 6150 practice questions

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Question 1Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

In a four-beat bar of music, which note value fills the bar on its own?

  1. A semibreve (whole note) Correct answer.
  2. A minim (half note)
  3. A crotchet (quarter note)
  4. A quaver (eighth note)

Explanation

In common time (4/4) each bar contains four crotchet beats. A semibreve lasts four beats, so it fills the whole bar without any other note. Shorter values such as minims, crotchets and quavers occupy only part of the bar.

Question 2Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A dancer moves across the stage from one side to the other along a straight line. Which term best describes this use of stage space?

  1. Focus
  2. Pathway Correct answer.
  3. Level
  4. Gesture

Explanation

Pathway describes the route a performer travels through space, such as a straight, curved or zigzag line. Level refers to height (high, middle, low), focus concerns where attention is directed, and gesture is a movement of a body part.

Question 3Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

Which element of drama refers to the person, creature or force that drives the action of a play?

  1. Spectacle
  2. Plot
  3. Character Correct answer.
  4. Theme

Explanation

Character is the element concerned with the persons or forces whose desires and decisions move the story forward. Plot is the sequence of events, theme is the underlying idea, and spectacle covers visual and aural staging effects.

Question 4Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A costume designer chooses colours for a character who must appear warm and approachable. Which choice best supports that intention?

  1. Soft warm yellows and oranges Correct answer.
  2. Metallic silver and chrome
  3. High-contrast black and white
  4. Cool blues and greys

Explanation

Colour carries emotional associations, and warm hues such as yellow, orange and soft red tend to suggest warmth and friendliness. Cool blues and greys read as distant or calm, while stark black-and-white or metallic finishes feel formal or cold.

Question 5Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

In music, what does the term 'tempo' describe?

  1. The loudness of the sound
  2. The number of instruments playing
  3. The speed of the beat Correct answer.
  4. The pitch of the melody

Explanation

Tempo is the speed at which music is performed, indicated by terms such as allegro (fast) and adagio (slow). Loudness is dynamics, pitch concerns highness or lowness of sound, and the number of players relates to texture and ensemble size.

Question 6Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

Which term describes the pattern of strong and weak beats that gives a piece of music its felt pulse?

  1. Timbre
  2. Meter Correct answer.
  3. Harmony
  4. Dynamics

Explanation

Meter is the organisation of beats into recurring groups of strong and weak pulses, such as duple or triple meter. Timbre is tone colour, harmony concerns simultaneous pitches, and dynamics concerns loudness.

Question 7Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A performer stands still while another performer walks slowly around them. Which principle of composition is most clearly shown?

  1. Repetition
  2. Climax
  3. Contrast Correct answer.
  4. Balance

Explanation

Contrast is created when two elements differ noticeably, here stillness against movement. Repetition would require the same action recurring, balance concerns the distribution of visual weight, and climax is the peak moment of intensity.

Question 8Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A stage is described as having 'raked' flooring. What does this mean?

  1. It is padded for dance
  2. It rotates mechanically
  3. It slopes upward away from the audience Correct answer.
  4. It is transparent

Explanation

A raked stage is built on an incline that rises towards the back, which improves sightlines for the audience. It does not rotate, and padding or transparency are unrelated properties of the floor surface.

Question 9Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

In a piece of music, a short melodic idea is played, then repeated a tone higher, then repeated again a tone higher still. Which device is being used?

  1. Sequence Correct answer.
  2. Cadence
  3. Ostinato
  4. Syncopation

Explanation

A sequence repeats a melodic idea at successively higher or lower pitches. An ostinato is a persistently repeated figure at the same pitch level, a cadence is a closing harmonic formula, and syncopation displaces accents off the beat.

Question 10Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A director wants the audience seated on three sides of the action, with the performers surrounded on all but one side. Which staging arrangement is this?

  1. Thrust Correct answer.
  2. Traverse
  3. Proscenium arch
  4. Promenade

Explanation

A thrust stage extends into the auditorium so the audience surrounds the action on three sides. A proscenium frames the action from one side only, traverse places the audience on two opposite sides, and promenade moves the audience around the venue.

Question 11Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A choreographer builds a group dance in which the dancers' positions mirror each other across a central line. Which compositional device is being used?

  1. Symmetry Correct answer.
  2. Retrograde
  3. Unison
  4. Canon

Explanation

Symmetry occurs when shapes or positions correspond on either side of an axis, creating visual balance. Canon involves staggered imitation, unison means performing the same movement simultaneously, and retrograde means reversing a movement sequence.

Question 12Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

Which statement best explains how a lighting designer uses intensity as a design element?

  1. By selecting the colour of the gel placed in the lantern
  2. By choosing the angle from which light strikes the stage
  3. By varying the brightness of light to shift mood and focus Correct answer.
  4. By deciding which parts of the stage receive light at all

Explanation

Intensity is the brightness of the light, and varying it can change mood, suggest time of day and draw attention to a performer. Angle, colour and the selection of lit areas are separate controllable qualities of stage lighting.

Question 13Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

In a play, a character speaks a private thought aloud while other characters on stage cannot hear it. What is this convention called?

  1. Aside Correct answer.
  2. Monologue
  3. Dialogue
  4. Soliloquy

Explanation

An aside is a brief remark delivered so that the audience hears it while other characters on stage do not. A soliloquy is a longer speech given alone on stage, a monologue is an extended speech to others, and dialogue is conversation between characters.

Question 14Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A drum pattern places a strong accent just before the main beat, so the listener feels a momentary push against the pulse. Which musical element is most directly at work?

  1. Modulation
  2. Legato
  3. Crescendo
  4. Syncopation Correct answer.

Explanation

Syncopation places accents on weak beats or between beats, creating a sense of push against the regular pulse. Legato concerns smooth articulation, crescendo is a gradual increase in loudness, and modulation is a change of key.

Question 15Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A designer wants a set that quickly changes from a forest to a city street without a long scene change. Which solution is most effective?

  1. Adding more stage hands to move heavy scenery
  2. Using a painted backdrop flown in to replace another Correct answer.
  3. Building a solid box set representing the forest
  4. Asking the actors to describe the location in dialogue

Explanation

Flown backdrops allow a swift visual transformation because one cloth can be raised and another lowered in seconds. A solid box set is slow to change, relying on dialogue avoids design rather than solving it, and adding stage hands does not make heavy scenery quick to move.

Question 16Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

During a group improvisation, one dancer begins a movement and each dancer in turn copies it a beat later, creating a rippling effect. Which device is this?

  1. Contact
  2. Tableau
  3. Canon Correct answer.
  4. Mirroring

Explanation

A canon occurs when the same movement is performed by different dancers starting at staggered times, producing a ripple. Mirroring is simultaneous reflection of a partner's movement, contact involves physical touch between dancers, and a tableau is a frozen picture.

Question 17Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A choir sings a melody while a lower voice sustains a long held note beneath it. Which element of music is most clearly illustrated?

  1. Form
  2. Rhythm
  3. Harmony Correct answer.
  4. Articulation

Explanation

Harmony is created when two or more pitches sound together, as with a melody supported by a sustained lower note. Rhythm concerns the organisation of durations, form concerns overall structure, and articulation concerns how notes are attacked and released.

Question 18Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

In visual and spatial awareness for performance, what does 'sightline' refer to?

  1. The painted line marking the centre of the stage
  2. The line along which performers enter and exit
  3. The angle at which a spotlight is hung
  4. The imaginary line from an audience member's eye to the stage Correct answer.

Explanation

A sightline is the line of vision between an audience member and the stage, and designers check sightlines so that no seat has its view blocked. Entrances, centre markings and lighting angles are different spatial considerations.

Question 19Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A playwright gives a character a repeated physical habit, such as always straightening a sleeve before speaking. Which element of characterisation does this technique build?

  1. Status through vocal pitch
  2. Subtext through gesture Correct answer.
  3. Plot through exposition
  4. Theme through setting

Explanation

A repeated physical habit is a gesture that can reveal unspoken feelings, which is subtext communicated through movement rather than words. Vocal pitch relates to voice, exposition conveys background information, and setting concerns place rather than character behaviour.

Question 20Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A composer writes a piece in which the opening theme returns, altered, after a contrasting middle section, producing an overall A-B-A shape. Which element does this describe?

  1. Dynamics
  2. Timbre
  3. Form Correct answer.
  4. Texture

Explanation

Form is the overall structure of a piece, and a returning A section after a contrasting B section gives ternary (A-B-A) form. Texture concerns how parts are layered, timbre concerns tone colour, and dynamics concern loudness.

Question 21Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A director places the most powerful character upstage centre while a weaker character sits downstage at the side. Which spatial principle is being used to reinforce status?

  1. Using sound effects to establish authority
  2. Using a revolve to change the scene quickly
  3. Using level and stage position to create visual dominance Correct answer.
  4. Using costume colour to indicate rank

Explanation

Height and position on stage carry status: standing or sitting higher and occupying a central, upstage position gives a figure visual dominance. Costume, sound and machinery can support a scene but are not the spatial means described here.

Question 22Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A sound designer gradually raises the volume of a low rumble over two minutes until it becomes overwhelming. Which two elements of the performing arts are most directly combined here?

  1. Dynamics and dramatic tension Correct answer.
  2. Timbre and set construction
  3. Tempo and choreography
  4. Pitch and costume

Explanation

Raising volume is a manipulation of dynamics, and building to an overwhelming level creates dramatic tension through sound. Pitch, tempo, timbre and set construction may be present in a production but are not what the described crescendo directly combines.

Question 23Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

Two productions use the same script. In one, the actors speak quickly, stand close together and use bright frontal light; in the other they speak slowly, keep wide distances and use dim side light. What best explains the difference in effect?

  1. The first production is performed in a proscenium theatre
  2. The second production uses a larger cast
  3. The script has been rewritten for each production
  4. Performance elements such as pace, space and light shape interpretation Correct answer.

Explanation

The same text can yield very different meanings because pace, spatial relationships and lighting are interpretive choices made by performers and designers. Nothing in the description implies a rewritten script, a different cast size or a particular theatre type.

Question 24Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A designer places a large, heavy-looking object high on one side of the stage and a small object low on the other. Why might the composition feel unbalanced?

  1. Visual weight is concentrated on one side without a counterweight Correct answer.
  2. The objects are made of different materials
  3. The objects are placed at different heights
  4. The stage is viewed from a single direction

Explanation

Visual balance depends on distributing weight, and a large mass placed high on one side carries strong visual pull that needs a counterweight elsewhere. Differing heights or materials alone do not cause imbalance, and viewing from one direction is normal for most staging.

Question 25Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A choreographer wants a section to feel increasingly urgent without changing the music's tempo. Which combination of movement choices would best achieve this?

  1. Slower arm gestures with longer held balances
  2. Smoother sustained movement with wider spacing
  3. Sharper accents, shorter pauses and tighter spatial groupings Correct answer.
  4. Lower levels with more time spent on the floor

Explanation

Urgency can be created without altering tempo by sharpening accents, reducing pauses and compressing the space dancers occupy. Sustained movement, slower gestures and extended floor work tend to reduce rather than increase the sense of drive.

Question 26Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

Which term describes the relative highness or lowness of a musical sound, determined by the frequency of its vibration?

  1. Timbre
  2. Duration
  3. Dynamics
  4. Pitch Correct answer.

Explanation

Pitch is the element of music that describes how high or low a sound is, and it depends on the frequency of the sound wave: faster vibration gives a higher pitch. It is distinct from loudness, tone colour and length, which are separate elements.

Question 27Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A dancer holds a curved arm shape that flows continuously from the shoulder to the fingertips. Which element of dance does this description most directly identify?

  1. Space
  2. Rhythm
  3. Line Correct answer.
  4. Energy

Explanation

In dance, line refers to the shape and design traced by the body or its parts through space, including curved and angular pathways. The flowing curve from shoulder to fingertips is precisely a line quality, not a timing, spatial-zone or effort quality.

Question 28Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A costume designer wants one character to read as visually dominant over another in every scene. Which use of colour and value would best achieve this?

  1. Dressing both characters in the same mid-grey so neither stands out
  2. Giving the dominant character a pale costume matching the cyclorama behind them
  3. Giving the dominant character a darker, more saturated costume against a paler background Correct answer.
  4. Dressing the dominant character in low-contrast tones close to the set colours

Explanation

Strong contrast in value and saturation draws the eye, so a darker, richly saturated costume against a pale background makes that figure read as dominant. Costumes that blend with the background reduce visual weight and therefore reduce perceived dominance.

Question 29Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

An actor must cross a wide stage while speaking a long speech so that the words stay clear to the audience throughout. Which choice of blocking best supports vocal clarity?

  1. Cross downstage toward the audience while keeping the head raised and voice projected out Correct answer.
  2. Stand still upstage in shadow and deliver the speech without projection
  3. Walk briskly upstage away from the audience while projecting the speech
  4. Turn the back to the audience and cross diagonally upstage while whispering

Explanation

Moving downstage brings the performer closer to the audience and, with the head raised and voice projected outward, keeps the sound directed at them. Blocking that sends the voice upstage or into the back wall loses clarity because sound travels away from the listeners.

Question 30Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness)

A composer writes a passage in which the metre changes from 4/4 to 7/8 and back again every two bars, while the underlying pulse stays constant. How does this technique most affect the listener's perception of the music's organisation?

  1. It doubles the tempo each time the metre changes, so the music speeds up steadily
  2. It converts the passage into a canon, since each metre change imitates the previous bar
  3. It keeps the beat constant but shifts the grouping of beats, producing an unsettled, shifting accent pattern Correct answer.
  4. It removes any sense of pulse, so the passage becomes arrhythmic

Explanation

When the pulse stays constant but the number of beats per bar changes, the grouping of strong and weak beats is redistributed, so accents fall in unexpected places and the metre feels unsettled. Tempo and pulse are unchanged, and metre change has nothing to do with imitation between voices.

Question 31Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

In a NSSCO Integrated Performing Arts ensemble, the director asks the choir to sing a passage with correct breath support. Which action best demonstrates this technique?

  1. Taking a short breath through the mouth just before each word
  2. Raising the shoulders high while taking a quick shallow breath
  3. Breathing deeply from the diaphragm while keeping the shoulders relaxed Correct answer.
  4. Singing loudly while holding the breath in the throat

Explanation

Breath support for singing relies on the diaphragm and lower intercostal muscles, allowing a steady controlled airflow that sustains tone. Shoulders should remain relaxed so the upper body does not tense and restrict the air column.

Question 32Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

Which term describes the clarity of speech sounds produced when articulators such as the tongue, lips and teeth shape the airstream?

  1. Phrasing
  2. Resonance
  3. Articulation Correct answer.
  4. Projection

Explanation

Articulation is the precise movement of the articulators that turns airflow into recognisable speech sounds. It is distinct from resonance, which concerns amplification of tone in cavities of the body.

Question 33Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

A performer must cross the stage silently during a tense scene. Which movement principle best helps the performer avoid distracting the audience?

  1. Placing the heel down first with heavy weight transfer
  2. Keeping the body upright and stiff while moving
  3. Rolling from the ball of the foot with controlled weight transfer Correct answer.
  4. Walking quickly with stiff straight legs

Explanation

Controlled transfer of weight through the ball of the foot allows quiet, smooth movement across the stage. This keeps the performer's stage business from pulling focus during a tense moment.

Question 34Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

What is the primary purpose of a warm-up before a practical performance class?

  1. To replace the need for rehearsal of the material
  2. To make the performance louder than usual
  3. To prepare the voice and body and reduce the risk of strain or injury Correct answer.
  4. To prove to the teacher that the learner is fit

Explanation

A warm-up gradually increases blood flow to muscles and gently prepares the vocal folds for use, lowering the chance of strain. It also focuses concentration before rehearsal or performance.

Question 35Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

In stagecraft, which item is a property (prop) rather than a piece of scenery?

  1. A set of stage legs
  2. A flat standing at the back of the set
  3. A hand-held lantern carried by an actor Correct answer.
  4. A cyclorama cloth

Explanation

A prop is any portable object handled or carried by a performer during the action. Scenery, including flats, cloths and legs, forms the fixed environment of the stage.

Question 36Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

Which dynamic marking tells a singer or instrumentalist to perform a passage very softly?

  1. Pianissimo Correct answer.
  2. Allegro
  3. Crescendo
  4. Forte

Explanation

Pianissimo, abbreviated pp, indicates a very soft dynamic level. It sits at the quiet end of the dynamic range used in vocal and instrumental scores.

Question 37Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

A learner speaks too quickly during a monologue and the audience cannot follow the meaning. Which vocal skill should be developed?

  1. Pace and pausing Correct answer.
  2. Vocal timbre
  3. Pitch range
  4. Breath capacity

Explanation

Pace and pausing govern how quickly words are delivered and where silence is placed so meaning can register. Slowing down and using deliberate pauses helps the audience follow the text.

Question 38Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

When an actor stands upstage and faces slightly away from the audience, what is the likely effect?

  1. The actor appears weaker and less connected with the audience Correct answer.
  2. The actor's voice automatically becomes clearer
  3. The actor blocks less of the set
  4. The actor appears more prominent and louder

Explanation

Upstage positions and turning away reduce the actor's prominence and weaken the connection with the audience. Performers usually adjust blocking so key moments are shared with the house.

Question 39Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

Which exercise most directly develops the flexibility and independence of the articulators for clear diction?

  1. Humming scales with the mouth closed
  2. Tongue twisters spoken slowly with exaggerated consonants Correct answer.
  3. Holding a plank position for one minute
  4. Sustaining a single low note for thirty seconds

Explanation

Tongue twisters practised slowly with exaggerated consonants train the tongue, lips and jaw to move precisely and independently. Precision is built first, then speed is added.

Question 40Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

A choir is told to sing a phrase in harmony. What does this require?

  1. Singers gradually getting louder through the phrase
  2. Singers performing one after another without overlapping
  3. Different voice parts singing different pitches that sound pleasing together Correct answer.
  4. All singers performing the same melody at the same pitch

Explanation

Harmony is produced when different pitches are sounded together in a combination the ear accepts as coherent. Each voice part sustains its own line while blending with the others.

Question 41Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

During a physical theatre sequence, a performer must transfer weight to a partner safely. Which principle applies?

  1. Moving as fast as possible to finish the lift
  2. Maintaining a strong centre with bent knees and clear communication Correct answer.
  3. Locking the knees and arching the back
  4. Keeping muscles relaxed and letting the partner take all the weight

Explanation

Safe weight sharing depends on a strong centre, bent knees to absorb force and agreed signals between partners. This protects both performers from strain and falls.

Question 42Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

Why does an actor use a vocal warm-up that includes humming and lip trills before a performance?

  1. To gently stimulate the vocal folds and resonators without strain Correct answer.
  2. To lower the pitch of the speaking voice
  3. To replace the need for articulation exercises
  4. To increase lung capacity permanently

Explanation

Humming and lip trills provide gentle, semi-occluded exercises that stimulate the vocal folds and resonators with low impact. They prepare the voice without forcing it.

Question 43Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

A director asks for a 'freeze' at the climax of a group scene. What should the performers do?

  1. Speak their next lines in a whisper
  2. Hold their positions and expressions completely still Correct answer.
  3. Exit the stage quickly and quietly
  4. Continue moving but slow down gradually

Explanation

A freeze requires performers to hold position and facial expression completely still, creating a tableau. The sudden stillness focuses the audience's attention on the frozen image.

Question 44Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

Which practice best helps an instrumentalist play a difficult passage accurately under performance pressure?

  1. Playing the whole piece at full speed repeatedly from the start
  2. Playing only the easiest sections of the piece
  3. Ignoring the passage and hoping it improves
  4. Practising the passage slowly and gradually increasing the tempo Correct answer.

Explanation

Slow practice builds accurate muscle memory and coordination before speed is added. Gradually increasing the tempo consolidates control so the passage holds up under pressure.

Question 45Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

What is the function of a prompt corner in a theatre?

  1. It is where the box office sells tickets
  2. It is the area where scenery is stored between acts
  3. It is where the stage manager cues performers and technicians Correct answer.
  4. It is the seating area reserved for the director

Explanation

The prompt corner is the backstage position from which the stage manager gives cues for lighting, sound and entrances. It keeps cueing coordinated and out of the audience's view.

Question 46Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

A performer's voice becomes hoarse after shouting lines in rehearsal. Which adjustment is most appropriate?

  1. Use supported projection and avoid straining the throat Correct answer.
  2. Skip warm-ups to save energy for the performance
  3. Shout louder to build vocal strength
  4. Whisper all remaining lines to rest the voice

Explanation

Hoarseness signals strain, so the performer should rely on breath support and resonating spaces for projection instead of forcing the throat. Rest and correct technique protect the voice.

Question 47Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

Which movement quality is most suitable for a character who is anxious and hurried?

  1. Sustained, flowing and gentle
  2. Still and relaxed throughout
  3. Heavy, slow and grounded
  4. Sharp, quick and uneven Correct answer.

Explanation

Movement quality communicates character state, and anxiety is expressed through quick, sharp, uneven actions. The rhythm and sharpness of the movement carry the emotional information.

Question 48Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

An actor must project to the back row of a large hall. Which combination is most effective?

  1. Turning the back to the audience and raising the pitch
  2. Tightening the throat and shouting
  3. Speaking rapidly to finish before running out of breath
  4. Breath support, open resonance and clear articulation directed outward Correct answer.

Explanation

Projection comes from supported breath, open resonance and crisp articulation aimed toward the audience. These combine to carry the voice without damaging it.

Question 49Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

In a script, the stage direction 'exit stage left' means the performer leaves the stage from which side?

  1. Through the centre aisle
  2. The side to the audience's left when facing the stage Correct answer.
  3. The side to the performer's left facing the audience
  4. Through the back wall of the set

Explanation

Stage directions are given from the performer's perspective facing the audience, so stage left is the audience's right. The performer exits on the side that appears left to the audience.

Question 50Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)

A singer must sustain a long phrase without running out of air. Which technique is most helpful?

  1. Singing the phrase as quietly as possible
  2. Taking a large breath and releasing it in a controlled, steady stream Correct answer.
  3. Taking many small gasping breaths during the phrase
  4. Raising the shoulders and pushing from the throat

Explanation

A supported breath released in a controlled steady stream allows the phrase to be sustained evenly to its end. Control of exhalation is the key skill.