Vaudeville

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/vaudeville

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the theatrical genre?A form of variety entertainment featuring a series of unrelated acts
2. What is the period of dominance?Approximately 1880s to early 1930s
3. Why did Vaudeville have so many different acts?Vaudeville mixed many kinds of acts because it wanted to surprise and keep everyone happy. By putting musicians, clowns, strongmen, and even trained animals together, it made the show exciting and unpredictable.
4. How did Vaudeville help future movie stars?Vaudeville was a training ground for performers. Many famous actors, singers, and comedians started there and later became stars in movies, radio, and TV.

Vaudeville: A theatrical genre characterized by a succession of independent, diverse performance acts presented on a single bill.
Variety Entertainment: A broad category of live performance encompassing music, comedy, dance, magic, and other distinct acts.
Show Business: The collective term for industries involved in entertainment, particularly theater, film, and television production and performance.