Theatre in Britain

A person who often goes to the theatre is called a theatre-goer. There are a lot of people who love and visit different kinds of theatres: drama, variety, puppet, musical theatres, opera houses and ballets.

The main part of each theatre is an auditorium that can hold different number of seats. It has a stage – a platform on which plays are performed before an audience. A sunken area at the front of the theatre, where musicians sit, is known as an orchestra pit. Front orchestra seats are called stalls or ground-floor seats. If, a theatre is very big there can be orchestra stalls, centre stalls and rear stalls.

Some auditoriums have special compartments for a small group of audience, which are called boxes. The dress-circle is the first or lowest tier of seats in a theatre. The balcony and the gallery are situated higher.

The first theatre appeared in England in 1599. It was the Globe closely connected with the name of Shakespeare. It was a round summer theatre with a sign on the main door that read “All the world is a stage”. According to the theatrical tradition of that time were no sets and all the parts were played by men. Rich people had seats in raised balconies poor people stood in the pit in front. This theatre was called “The Golden Theatre” by the common people as it was not only for the rich but for the poor people as well.

London as well as other big cities of Great Britain is rich in theatres.

The National Theatre comprises three theatres:

- the Oliver Theatre, named after Lawrence Olivier, an outstanding English actor, who was the first director of the National Theatre;

- the Lyttleton Theatre, named in honour of Oliver Lyttleton, who was the first president of the National Theatre Council;

- the Cottesloe Theatre named after the president of the South Bank Council.

Now Britain has about 300 professional theatres. Regular seasons of opera and ballet are given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. The National Theatre stages modern and classical plays, the Royal Shakespeare Company produced plays mainly by Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

There are many theatres for young people. The National Youth Theatre which stages classical and modern plays about youth, was on tour in Russia in 1989. Many famous English actors started their careers in this theatre. Among them Timothy Dalton, the actor who did the part of Rochester in “Jane Eyre” shown on TV in our country.

Concerts of the leading symphony orchestras, numerous folk and pop music groups are held in the Royal Albert Hall. The Programs include new and contemporary works as well as classics. Among them are symphonies and other pieces of music composed by Benjamin Britten, the famous English musician.

So if you’re staying in London for a few days you’ll have no difficulty whatever in finding somewhere to spend an enjoyable evening. You’ll find opera, ballet, comedy, drama, review, musical comedy and variety. The best seats at the theatres are those in the stalls, the circle, and the upper circle. Then comes the pit, and last of all the gallery where the seats are cheapest. Boxes of course are the most expensive. Most theatres and music halls have good orchestras with popular conductors. You ought to make a point of going to the opera at least once during the season if you can. There you can get the best of everything – an excellent orchestra, famous conductors, celebrated singers and a well-dressed audience. But, of course, if, you’re not fond of music and singing opera won’t interest you. At the West-End theatres you can see most of the famous English actors and actresses. As a rule, the plays are magnificently staged-costumes, dresses, scenery, everything being done on the most lavish scale. Choose a good play, and you’ll enjoy yourself thoroughly from the moment the curtain goes up to the end of the last act.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04