Q 01/05

Which Shakespeare tragedy won't actors name inside a theatre, calling it 'the Scottish play'?

A) Hamlet

B) King Lear

C) Macbeth

D) Othello

Answer · why

C) Macbeth

Macbeth is said to carry a curse with its own cleansing ritual: the offender must leave the theatre, turn three times, spit over the left shoulder and...

Q 02/05

What is the lone bulb left burning on an empty stage overnight called, a habit some trace to gas-lit theatres?

A) Ghost light

B) Night light

C) Pilot light

D) Safety light

Answer · why

A) Ghost light

A ghost light has a practical job as well as a spooky one: it stops anyone crossing a pitch-dark theatre from falling into the orchestra pit. One theo...

Q 03/05

Which Agatha Christie whodunnit has run in the West End since 1952, its twist ending kept secret by audiences?

A) Spider's Web

B) The Mousetrap

C) The Unexpected Guest

D) The Hollow

Answer · why

B) The Mousetrap

The Mousetrap passed its 30,000th performance in March 2025, by far the longest run of any play in the world. Christie gave the rights to her grandson...

Q 04/05

Which Greek, credited as the first person to act a character on stage, won Athens' first tragedy contest in 534 BC?

A) Arion

B) Phrynichus

C) Pratinas

D) Thespis

Answer · why

D) Thespis

Thespis is the reason actors are still called thespians. Tradition also credits him with inventing touring, carting his costumes, masks and props from...

Q 05/05

What set the original Globe Theatre's thatched roof ablaze in 1613, during a performance of Henry VIII?

A) A dropped lantern

B) A lightning strike

C) A tobacco pipe

D) A stage cannon

Answer · why

D) A stage cannon

A stage cannon misfired and ignited the beams and thatch; by one surviving account the only casualty was a man whose burning breeches were put out wit...