Seats in the Theatre

THEATRE

There are many people whom
the theatre fills with an excitement
which no familiarity can stale. It is

for them a world of mystery and
delight, it gives them entry into a

realm of the imagination which
increases their joy in life…

W. Somerset Maugham

LEAD-IN:

1. Next to each letter write a word, a phrase or a sentence characterizing theatre. Follow the example.

T- terrific, as it gives you much enjoyment

H-

E-

A-

T-

R-

E-

2. Answer the following questions. You may find the following expressions helpful:

Most likely... To tell you the truth... On the contrary... I agree (disagree) with this statement… Nothing of the kind... Just the other way round...

1. Why do people go to the theatre?

2. What makes theatre attractive to people of different generations and different times?

3. To what groups of the society is theatre directed today?

4. Are you a passionate theatre-goer?

5. Can you say that the theatre is your favourite pastime?

6. How can the theatre be compared with the cine­ma?

7. Do you agree that the stage acting is a lost art, it has been ruined by the cinema and TV? Do you find any advantages of theatre over TV? How has TV affected theatre?

8. What is a play? Do you consider it amusement or instruction?

9 What is the appeal of the theatre? Is theatre only an entertainment or does it play a more serious role in people's lives?

10. What, do you think, the characteristic features of today's Ukrainian theatre are?

Do you like contemporary theatre?

11. What role do scenery and music play in the per­formance?

VOCABULARY 1

Seats in the Theatre

auditorium (front) stallsboxpitupper-circledress-circlegallerybalconygangway seats (aisle seats) to command a view(to have a clear sight)

in the front row of the dress circle in the back row of the box at the back of the first (second, etc.) tier seats are too far back to book a seat (to get a seat; to buy a seat) to exchange seats (tickets) for another performance at the booking-office (box-office) the House is sold out (tickets are sold out) "Full House" ("[Tickets] Sold Out") to put "A Sold Out"or "Full House” to reserve seats

3. Answer the questions, using the words from the box:

1. What seats in the theatre do theatergoers have if they want to command a view?
2. Why do people sometimes reserve seats?
3. About which seats can we say that they are too back?
4. In what cases do people exchange seats for another performance?
5. What does the sign “Full House” mean? Where and when can you see it?
6. If you go to the theatre, what seats do you prefer? Why?

4. Match each part of the theatre in the left-hand column with its definition from the right-hand column

aisle balcony box foyer gallery (or gods) orchestra pit circle row stalls

a. a small room in a theatre, on either side, from which a small group of people can watch the play b. the hall at the entrance to a theatre c. the way between the seats in a theatre d. a line of seats for people side by side e. the seats on the ground floor f. the part of a theatre where people can sit above the ground level g. one of the upper parts in a theatre, in which the seats are arranged in part of a circle around the building h. the highest upper floor in a theatre i.sunken area in front of the stage where an orchestra may play

READING 1

5. Read the text and speak about the feelings of the actress.

Theatre

Four hours later it was all over. The play went well from the beginning: the spectators were pleased after the holidays to find themselves once more in a playhouse and were ready to be amused. It was an auspicious beginning for the theatrical season. There had been great applause after each act and at the end a dozen curtain calls. Julia took two by herself and even she was startled by the warmth of her reception. She had made the little halting speech, prepared beforehand, which the occasion demanded. There had been a final call of the entire company and then the orchestra had struck up the National Anthem. Julia, pleased, excited and happy, went to her dressing-room. She had never felt more sure of herself. She had never acted with greater bril­liance, variety and resource. The play ended with a long tirade in which Ju­lia castigated the flippancy, the uselessness, the immorality of the idle set into which her marriage had brought her. It was two pages long and there was no another actress in England who could have held the attention of the audience while she delivered it. With her exquisite timing, with the modula­tion of her beautiful voice, with her command of the gamut of emotions, she had succeeded by a climax to the play. A violent action could not have been more exciting nor an unexpected denouement more surprising. The whole cast had been excellent with the exception of Alice Crichton. Julia hummed in an undertone as she went into her dressing-room.

(from W. Somerset Maugham "Theatre")

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04