NES Theater (816) Practice Tests

Competencies 0001–0003 make up about 30% of the test. They ask you to understand principles and fundamental skills related to playwriting and principles of dramatic structure; understand principles and fundamental skills related to acting; understand principles and fundamental skills related to directing.

• Competency 0001: Understand principles and fundamental skills related to playwriting and principles of dramatic structure. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and skills involved in writing and adapting a play for the stage; Demonstrate knowledge of the use of various techniques (e.g., methods of research/information gathering, playmaking, self-scripting, improvisation) for generating ideas for stories, actions, characters, and dramatic environments; Understand ways of structuring a script to communicate ideas and feelings (e.g., plot, characters, setting, theme, mood); Recognize the use of various dramatic styles, forms, and genres in playwriting.
• Competency 0002: Understand principles and fundamental skills related to acting. Skills tested: Identify methods and characteristics associated with classical and contemporary forms of actor training; Understand techniques for developing actors' tools (i.e., voice, body, and mind); Understand characterization techniques in acting; Demonstrate knowledge of uses and techniques of improvisation.
• Competency 0003: Understand principles and fundamental skills related to directing. Skills tested: Understand effective collaboration with cast, production staff, and community; Demonstrate knowledge of preparing a production (e.g., selecting a play, background research, script analysis, concept/design decisions); Understand the casting and rehearsal processes (e.g., auditions, casting, schedule planning, blocking); Demonstrate knowledge of integrating elements for performance (e.g., technical and design elements, continuous critique and revision from multiple sources involved in the production).

Competencies 0004–0005 make up about 15% of the test. They ask you to understand principles and fundamental skills related to producing and managing theatrical performances; understand principles and fundamental skills related to set, costume, makeup, lighting, and sound design.

• Competency 0004: Understand principles and fundamental skills related to producing and managing theatrical performances. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in theatrical production (e.g., stage manager, company manager, production manager, producer, technical director); Identify factors and considerations involved in selecting a play for theatrical production and legal issues (e.g., royalties, copyrights, liability, contracts) related to theatrical producing; Demonstrate knowledge of procedures for scheduling, budgeting, planning, promoting, and managing theatrical productions and for managing personnel (e.g., designers, choreographers, music director).
• Competency 0005: Understand principles and fundamental skills related to set, costume, makeup, lighting, and sound design. Skills tested: Demonstrate essential design principles and elements as they relate to theater (e.g., space, color, line, shape, texture, repetition, balance, emphasis, contrast, unity); Understand fundamentals of stagecraft (e.g., set, costume, property, and mask construction; hang/focus of lighting instruments; sound production; makeup); Demonstrate knowledge of health and safety guidelines related to technical theater and design; Analyze the use of principles of design and production in the context of the script and historical/cultural considerations of the play's setting.

Competencies 0006–0009 make up about 25% of the test. They ask you to understand the development, analysis, and history of drama and theater; understand significant British and other European dramatic literature from ancient times to the present; understand significant dramatic literature of the United States, and more.

• Competency 0006: Understand the development, analysis, and history of drama and theater. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the various purposes of theater throughout history; Understand the development of basic elements of theatrical performance and production throughout history; Identify types and characteristics of various dramatic forms; Understand the relationship of cultural, economic, political, and other social factors to theater; Understand the fundamentals of the analysis and critique of works of theater and dramatic literature.
• Competency 0007: Understand significant British and other European dramatic literature from ancient times to the present. Skills tested: Understand major themes, characteristics, and developments in British and European theater and dramatic literature from ancient times to the present; Identify major British and European playwrights and their works; Demonstrate knowledge of prominent developments in British and European theatrical performance and production.
• Competency 0008: Understand significant dramatic literature of the United States. Skills tested: Understand major themes, characteristics, and developments in American theater and dramatic literature throughout history; Identify major American playwrights and their works; Identify prominent individuals and understand developments in American theatrical performance and production.
• Competency 0009: Understand significant dramatic literature from other global traditions. Skills tested: Understand major themes, characteristics, and developments in the theater and dramatic literature of other global cultural traditions; Identify major playwrights and prominent individuals in the theater of other global cultural traditions.

Competencies 0010–0011 make up about 10% of the test. They ask you to understand principles and fundamental skills related to theater education for children and adolescents; understand the interdisciplinary nature of theater.

• Competency 0010: Understand principles and fundamental skills related to theater education for children and adolescents. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of teaching methods and practices in theater arts education; Understand the creative development of children and adolescents in the theater arts; Recognize criteria for evaluating various aspects of theatrical performance at different age levels; Demonstrate knowledge of theater for young audiences and dramatic literature for children's theater.
• Competency 0011: Understand the interdisciplinary nature of theater. Skills tested: Understand theater in connection to related arts (e.g., opera, puppetry, mime, music, dance, visual arts, radio, television, video, film, digital media); Demonstrate knowledge of theater in connection to other academic disciplines and the humanities.

Competencies 0012–0012 make up about 20% of the test. They ask you to prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to one or more of the following: playwriting, performance, and direction of dramatic works; design, production, and management of dramatic works; theater history and dramatic literature; theater education.

• Competency 0012: Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to one or more of the following: playwriting, performance, and direction of dramatic works; design, production, and management of dramatic works; theater history and dramatic literature; theater education. Skills tested: (Refer to objectives 0001 through 0011 and associated descriptive statements.).