A DATE FOR THE THEATRE

Mike: Hello, Jack. Why the rush? Where are you going?

Jack: Hello, Mike. I’m on my way to meet Joyce at the station. We’re having dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then we’re off to the theatre.

Mike: Do you often go to the theatre?

Jack: Yes, Joyce and I usually go at least once a fortnight, sometimes more. Do you ever go?

Mike: Yes, but I don’t often find time these days. There are so many other things to do.

Jack: True, true.

Mike: Listen, perhaps Janet and I can arrange to meet you and Joyce one Saturday evening. We can have dinner together and go on to a theatre.

Jack: That’s a good idea. Look, I forget the name of the play, but there’s a good comedy on at the Theatre Royal next week. If you like, I can book four seats for next Saturday.

Mike: All right. I’m meeting Janet later this evening so I can make sure that she’s free next Saturday. I’ll ring you tomorrow to confirm if we are coming.

Jack: Fine. I must fly now. It’s six o’clock already and Joyce’s bus arrives at ten past. She hates waiting around and I don’t want to spoil everything by upsetting her before we start our evening.

Mike: I’ll phone you tomorrow then. Give my regards to Joyce. Have a good evening.

AT THE BOX-OFFICE

- I want four seats for Sunday, please.

- Matinee or evening performance?

- Evening, please.

- Well, you can have very good seats in the stalls. Row F.

- Oh, no! It’s near the orchestra-pit. My wife can’t stand loud music.

- Then I could find you some seats in the pit.

- I’m afraid that won’t do either. My father-in-law is terribly short-sighted. He wouldn’t see much from the pit, would he?

- Hm... Perhaps, you’d care to take a box?

- Certainly not! It’s too expensive. I can’t afford it.

- Dress-circle then?

- I don’t like to sit in the dress-circle.

- I’m afraid the only thing that remains is the gallery.

- How can you suggest such a thing! My mother-in-law is a stout woman with a weak heart. We couldn’t dream of letting her walk up four flights of stairs, could we?

- I find, sir, that there isn’t a single seat in the house that would suit you.

- There isn’t, is there? Well, I think we’d much better go to the movies. As for me, I don’t care much for this theatre-going business. Good day!

***

Agent: Hello, Agency Booking Office.

Client: Hello, my name’s Peter Robinson, and I’d like to enquire about the plays at Stradford at the moment.

Agent: Just a minute, Mr Robinson. Yes, here we are. Stradford. There are two plays during the present season, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Client: Oh. You mean I can’t see A Winter’s Tale?

Agent: I’m afraid not, Mr Robinson. It doesn’t start until July.

Client: I see. Well, can you give me some details about A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Agent: Certainly – the leading roles are played by Richard Easton and Amanda Harris. The production is directed by Bill Alexander. When do you want to see the play?

Client: At the end of May. The last week.

Agent: In that case we have tickets on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th only. The other days are booked up, I’m afraid. On both days performances start at 7.30 in the evening. We suggest that you arrive half an hour before the performance as latecomers can’t be allowed in until the interval.

Client: Yes, I see. And how much are the tickets?

Agent: Well, we have just a few seats available at &9.00. But there are quite a few at &12.50 and &14.00.

Client: What are the &9.00 seats like?

Agent: They’re at the side of the stage, but the more expensive ones are right in front of it. You’d have a better view.

Client: Right then. Can I book three seats at &12.50 for the 7.30 performance on Thursday 29th May.

Agent: Very well, Mr Robinson. If you send us a cheque for &37.50 we’ll send you the tickets. You have our address?

Clien t: Yes...

PANTOMIMES

Sally: Tony, there’s an advertisement in the local paper saying that the theatre in the High Street is putting on “Cinderella”. I haven’t seen a pantomime for years and years. Do you fancy going?

Tony: Yeh, that sounds good. I don’t think I’ve seen one since I was about fourteen – except for one on ice when I was crazy about skating, and that’s not quite the same thing, is it?

Sally: No. Ice shows don’t have all the wonderful traditional scenery and that gorgeous theatre atmosphere.

Tony: Pantomimes are awfully old, if you think about it, aren’t they? I mean with a girl playing the part of the principal boy, all dressed up in tights and tunic.

Sally: Mm, and the dame parts taken by men. I’ve never seen “Cinderella”. I suppose the stepmother and the ugly sisters are the men’s parts in that.

Tony: Aladdin used to be my favourite, when a comedian played the Widow Twankey. And when Aladdin rubbed the magic lamp an enormous genie appeared.

Sally: And the audience booing the wicked uncle, and joining in the singing of the popular songs they always manage to get into the play somehow.

Tony: Yes! I wonder how on earth they manage to fit today’s pop songs into pantomime stories?

Sally: Well, why don’t we get tickets and find out?

Tony: Yes, OK. Come on, then.

Role Play.

Divide into groups of three. Two of you should discuss which Broadway play you would like to see. Decide when you would like to go. Have a second choice in mind, just in case your first pick is sold out. When you have made these decisions, call the theater box office for tickets. The third person in the group is the ticket agent.

OH KAY! - A fun musical with all your favorite Gershwin songs! Menskoff Theater 555-0374 Tues.-Sat. at 8:00, Wed. and Sat. at 2:00, Sun. at 3:00 - $40-560 (2hrs. 20 mins.)

CATS - The famous Broadway musical that has warmed hearts around the world. The Spring Garden Theater 555-4895 Tues.-Sat. at 8:00, Wed. and Sat. at 2:00, Sun. at 2:00 S25-S60; 200 discounted tickets are available at the box office for students and senior citizens. (3hrs. 15 min.)

THE SOUND OF MUSIC - A romantic musical about the Von Trapp family and their unusual governess. Kentucky Theather 555-9370 Tues-Sat. at 8:00, Wed. and Sat. at 2:00, Sun. at 3:00 S55-S55 (2hrs. 30 mins.)

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE – A Pulitzer Prize winning play about moral tensions in the South. Martin Buck Theater 555-0102 Mon.-Sat. at 8:00, Wed. and Sat. at 2:00 $3750-550 (2hrs.)

8. Read the text and say what theatre is. Where does the word “theatre” come from? Is theatre the same as drama?

Theatre

Theatre, also spelled theatre, is a live performance before an audience. It includes all every form of entertainment form the circus to plays. In more traditional terms, theatre is an art form in which script is acted out by performers. The performers, usually with the help of a director, interpret the characters and situations created by a playwright. The performance takes place before an audience in a space designated for the performance.

The word theatre comes from a Greek word meaning a place for seeing. In this sense, the word refers to the space where performances are staged. However, theatre in a broad sense includes everything that is involved in a production: script, the stage, the performing company, and the audience. In addition, theatre refers to a part of human culture that began during primitive times.

Theatre is not the same as drama, though the words are frequently used interchangeably. Drama refers to the literary part of a performance – that is, the play. Some critics believe that a play is not really a play until it has been performed before an audience. Others argue that the script is only a blueprint that the director and other interpretative artists use as the basis for performance.

The theatre is one of the most complex of the arts. It requires many kinds of artists for its creation. These specialists include the playwright, performers, director, scene director, scene designer, costumer, lighting designer, and various technicians, and a choreographer are needed. The theatre is sometimes called a mixed art because it combines the script of the playwright, the environment created by the scene designer, and the speech and movement of the performers.

In the earliest theatrical performances, the dramatist performed all artistic functions, including acting. Gradually different theatre arts emerged. In the modern theatre, a director is used to integrate all aspects of production, including scenery, costumes, lighting, sound effects, music and dancing, but perhaps his most important job is to guide the performers.

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