Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Fall Theatre Triva Contest

Think you know something about Theatre? Pittsburgh? Entertainment? Time to step up.

Below are all the questions from the fall generated from the “News From the Real World” page (http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/). They cover CMU, Theatre, Pittsburgh, and anything else that might relate to being here at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. Some of you receiving this email are actually answers to some of the questions below. Most of you have been involved in at least one thing referenced in a question – and you’ve certainly talked about (or even seen) many of the items addressed.

Let’s see how much you remember. We’ll do four divisions: People that took the quizzes, Students that didn’t take the quizzes, CMU Drama faculty & Staff, and Everyone else. We’ll get four new winners to replace last year’s champion: David Holcomb. Winners will get a plug on the web page, the envy and adoration of their peers, and I guess maybe a “News From the Real World” t-shirt or something (I’ll have to work on a prize).

Feel free to forward the contest to friends.

All the questions are numbered, groups of questions are preceded by the closing date of the week they were given (for questions with “this week” or “recently” and the like).

Send your answers to me at this address: dboevers@cmu.edu the competition will be open until December 19th at which time the winner will be announced.

Have the big fun!!!

9-3

  1. Where is “The Little Mermaid” running?
  2. What organization did Cirque and MGM/Mirage just join?
  3. Locally, who is doing “Private Lives?”
  4. What artist was the inspiration for Roger Kirk’s set design for Opera Australia’s “The Tales of Hoffman?”
  5. Who is the writer/director of the new work “33 Variations” opening at Arena Stage?
  6. Why did Havel pull permission for Prague’s National Theatre to do his newest work?
  7. What is unusual about the current Mabou Mines production of “Songs for New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting?”
  8. Name three School of Drama faculty up for renewal this year.
  9. Where is “Young Frankenstein” running?
  10. What state is home to “Burning Man?”

9-10

  1. What company provided the fog machines to Lord of the Rings?
  2. Who is starring in the Guthrie’s Peer Gynt?
  3. What play did the Bishop of Central Florida cancel at Trinity Preparatory School?
  4. What’s the FTAC’s beef with Canada?
  5. Who in town is doing Ah, Wilderness?
  6. Who wrote Runner Stumbles?
  7. Who will be televising Legally Blonde?
  8. What Equity contract is frequently used for small productions off-off Broadway?
  9. How does the leadership of the Coconut Grove Playhouse plan to resurrect it?
  10. What information are we likely not to see from Young Frankenstein?

9-18

  1. Why is the spring revival of Guys & Dolls looking unlikely for Broadway?
  2. What are Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance trying to convince us of?
  3. What was interesting about the Trinity Preparatory School’s latest production?
  4. Who is Ronald Allan-Lindblom?
  5. Who is Grisha Colman?
  6. What is remarkable about the Pitt production of “Outside Inn?”
  7. What appears to be the main stumbling block in the IA Local #1 negotiation?
  8. Where did we find they are so short of film techs the union is having classes for tradesmen?
  9. What did the employees of the Germantown Performing Arts Center do to get themselves fired?
  10. What’s different about the plays of Coyote Rep?

9-24

  1. What building has the city of Pittsburgh recently recommended for “Historic Status?”
  2. What is an omozukai?
  3. Who just opened My Fair Lady?
  4. What is Project Freewheel?
  5. How old is West Side Story?
  6. Who is the director of the upcoming Key to the Field?
  7. What is the Pittsburgh Zoo celebrating?
  8. What is the latest challenge to Canadian film production?
  9. What Broadway show’s actors have suffered a rash of injuries?
  10. Where are the “Ivey Awards” given?

10-2

  1. Where are the Ovation Awards given?
  2. What is the Off-Broadway show Jump all about?
  3. What are the “IT” awards and where are they given?
  4. What high profile film had a crew death last week?
  5. Who and Bob and Colleen Bonniol?
  6. What is interesting about cast members Gracie and Murphy Coen in the Met’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” besides their being siblings?
  7. Name at least 2 of the 4 Junior Performance Project titles.
  8. What Pittsburgh Company just opened “The Marriage of Figaro?”
  9. Who is Robyn Archer?
  10. What Happened to Angela Gheorghiu this past week?

10-8

  1. What does Isamu Noguchi do?
  2. What local company is doing “Someplace, Not Here?”
  3. Where is Quantum doing “Therese Raquin?”
  4. What is special about Thursday, 10/18?
  5. What is “Defying Gravity” about?
  6. What is the opening show of City Theatre’s season?
  7. Where are the Barrymore Awards given?
  8. Who is the School of Drama partnering with to develop new musicals?
  9. What was the apparent sticking point in the Local #1 negotiation?
  10. What Pittsburgh festival opens Thursday 10/11?

10-15

  1. What local company is doing The Comedy of Errors?
  2. Who is planning on moving their theatre from Oakland to downtown?
  3. Who is trying to buy the Chicago Theatre?
  4. What local company is doing Madame Butterfly?
  5. What company is signing to back Madonna?
  6. What local company is relocating their offices to the strip district?
  7. Why is IATSE President Thomas Short upset with the WGA?
  8. What are the Henry Hewes Awards?
  9. What is the current date for a Local #1 strike authorization vote?
  10. What’s the League’s beef with the FCC?

10-22

  1. Who is Jane Werner?
  2. Who was the major donor that BAM recently lost?
  3. What is the basic-cable rift between SAG and AFTRA about?
  4. What two local groups collaborated on In Service?
  5. What was First Voice?
  6. Who is Neil Mazzella?
  7. What has Time Warner done for NYC’s Signature Theatre Company?
  8. Who is the playwrite behind 365 Days/365 Plays?
  9. What date did IA Local #1 just authorize as a strike date?
  10. Why is the “yellow card” dispute between Local #1 and producers of even greater significance?

10-29

  1. What does David Allen say is the “Meaning of (Organized) Life?”
  2. Name one of the two Grad One Act titles.
  3. Who mounted the local production of “Macbeth?”
  4. How many years has it been since the Pittsburgh Ballet showed a budget surplus?
  5. An Akon show was cancelled at Emory University, why?
  6. How many units is the “Guys & Dolls in Context” class?
  7. What’s going to be different about the Atlanta Ballet’s production of “Peter Pan?”
  8. What city did Travel + Leisure magazine rate #2 in the nation for theatre?
  9. Who is Karla Boos?
  10. Why did La Jolla Playhouse reschedule their “Diamonds are Forever” Gala?

11-5

  1. What’s the latest problem with Disney’s “It’s a Small World” ride?
  2. What does “43 Folders” refer to?
  3. Why does Elizabeth Reiss feel like the Arts Festival is being evicted from Point State Park?
  4. What is the date set for talks to resume between IA Local #1 and the Broadway Producers?
  5. What is the “hook” to Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s “Black & White” festival?
  6. Who’s union contract with who expired last week?
  7. Who is Tom Short?
  8. Who is Red Whittaker?
  9. Who wrote “The Farnsworth Invention?”
  10. According to the League of American Theatres, how many shows does the average theatregoer attend each year?

11-12

  1. In the parlance of the WGA what is a “show runner?”
  2. What city has “The Ovation Awards?”
  3. Who’s 2008 season includes Peter Pan, and The Color Purple?
  4. Who is Ted Pappas?
  5. What playwright wrote Rock & Roll?
  6. Who is fighting over jurisdiction of film production in British Columbia?
  7. Who is Lisa Linden?
  8. Who is James Claffey Jr?
  9. What city has “the Suzi Bass Awards?”
  10. What was significant about the production of Wicked at the Bushnell theatre in Connecticut?

11-19

  1. What’s the difficulty with Steppenwolf’s play “August: Osage County
  2. What local exhibit opens tomorrow?
  3. What strike cancelled performances of Verdi’s “Requiem” and Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” this week?
  4. Whose local production contained a product placement for Bruster’s Ice Cream?
  5. How old is Disney’s “The Lion King” musical?
  6. Who, locally, is presenting “Murderers?”
  7. What computer program is 25 years old this week?
  8. Who, locally, is presenting “This Wonderful Life?”
  9. What circumstances may allow “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to re-open this week?
  10. Why are the Stratford and Shaw festivals nervous about their American audience?

11-25

  1. Who is Robert Johnson?
  2. Name at least one of the three sold out movies at CMU on November 18.
  3. Who won the “A Life in Light” award at LDI this year?
  4. What show wound up on the New York Supreme Court docket this week?
  5. What is IATSE Local # 764?
  6. What local company is running “Plaid Tidings?”
  7. Who is Stuart Carden?
  8. Who is the writer/director of “Gone Missing?”
  9. Why did the company of “The Final Push” in Harare, Zimbabwe have to do their show 12 times in 2 days?
  10. Who is the playwright of “Absurd Person Singular?”

12-3

  1. What Las Vegas casino was imploded recently?
  2. What anniversary is coming up for Pittsburgh?
  3. The Nederlander Organization is suing Local #1 for $35 million dollars, what’s their reasoning?
  4. What was the name of the Adam Sandler movie that had an accident on their set recently, and what happened?
  5. Name three, local, Christmas themed theatre productions.
  6. How long was the Local #1 strike?
  7. Lakota East High School in Ohio cancelled and then reinstated performances of what play?
  8. What local company just produced “The Elixir of Love?”
  9. What date has been set for Local #1 to vote on the new contract?
  10. What local company works in the Hamburg Studio Theatre?

2 comments:

elj said...

I only know about 10-15 of those, but here's a trivia question for you:

What currently-running Broadway show has a cue for a crew member to "unplug the mic snake" to prevent equipment damage by very high levels of electrical interference?

Peg said...

That's got to be Young Frankenstein.