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MTEL Theater Test

The MTEL Theater Test is given to Massachusetts educators interested in teaching theater in a public school setting.

The test is divided into two sections that address four subareas: Playwriting, Performance, and Direction of Dramatic Works; Design, production and Management of Dramatic Works; Theater History and Dramatic Literature; and Theater Education. The first section asks questions in a multiple-choice format, offering four possible responses to each question. The second section offers two writing prompts that are designed to demonstrate the candidate's depth of theater knowledge and ability to apply abstract or theoretical knowledge to real-world situations in two brief essays.

The multiple-choice section of the MTEL Speech test provides 80% of the total test score, broken down into the four subareas. Playwriting, Performance, and Direction of Dramatic Works is examined in 30 multiple-choice questions. Theater History and Dramatic Literature is examined in 25 multiple choice questions. Ten questions are directed toward Theater Education, and the remaining section, Design, Production and Management of Dramatic Works is the focus of 15 questions.

Two open-response questions evaluate the candidate's abstract and practical understanding of theater education as demonstrated by brief, written responses. This section accounts for the remaining 20% of the final score.

MTEL Theater Test Practice Questions

1. The basic themes used in all creative endeavors include:

1. Universal
2. Broad
3. Shared
4. All of the above

2. Why are themes important?

1. Organize ideas into a coherent whole
2. Tell a story
3. Create a scene
4. Recall a memory

3. What does the Greek work “theatron” mean?

1. Theater
2. Place of seeing
3. Dramatic
4. Comedic

4. Where were the earliest recorded theater productions?

1. England
2. China
3. Egypt
4. Greece

5. In what centuries did Japanese theater develop?

1. 14^th and 15^th
2. 15^th and 16^th
3. 16^th and 17^th
4. None of the above

Answer Key | MTEL Theater Test Breakdown