Text11. British theatre today

Interest in the arts in Britain used to be largely confined to small elite. Nowadays far more people read books, visit art galleries. Go to the theatre and attend concerts.

The theatre has always been very strong in Britain. (1) ____________. As they say: “They ran and ran!” In the second half of the XXth century, the two longest-running theatrical productions have been “The Mousetrap” (from a novel by Agatha Christie) and the comedy ‘No Sex, please, we’re British”. Both played continuously for more than fifteen years.

Britain is one of the world’s major theatre centres. Many British actors and actresses have the world fame. They are Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Glenda Jackson, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud an others.

But every large town in the country has its theatres. Even small towns often have ‘repertory’ theatres, where different plays are performed for short periods by the same group of professional actors (a repertory company). Besides, many people are enthusiastically involved in British theatre with a more or less amateur or part-time status. (2) ____________. Especially drama is popular with people of all ages.

Now Britain has about 300 professional theatres. Some of them are privately owned. (3) ____________. Regular seasons of opera and ballet are given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. The Royal National Theatre stages modern and classical plays. The Royal Shakespeare Company produces plays mainly by Shakespeare and his contemporaries when it performs in Stratford – on Avon, and modern plays in its two auditoria in the City’s Barbican Centre.

There are over 200 theatres in London, a quarter of which is in Westminster’s West End. Many other cities and large towns have at least one theatre.

(4) ____________. The National Youth Theatre, which stages classical plays mainly by Shakespeare and modern plays about youth, was on tour in Russia in 1989 for the first time. (5) ____________. Many famous English actors started their careers in the National Youth Theatre. Among them Timothy Dalton.

It seems that the conventional format of the theatrical play gives the undemonstrative British people (6) ____________. The country’s most successful and respected playwrights are usually those who explore the darker side of the personality and of personal relationships (albeit often through comedy).

British theatre has such a fine acting tradition that Hollywood is forever raiding its talent for people to star in films. British television does the same thing. Moreover, (7) ____________. In short, British theatre is much admired. As a consequence, it is something that British actors are proud of. Many of the most (8)____________.

21. Answer the following questions:

1) Why are the British so proud of W. Shakespeare? Why do they call him “the Swan of Avon”?

2) What plays written by Shakespeare do you know? What Shakespeare’s play should be staged at the theatres for young people?

3) What kinds of plays does the Royal Shakespeare Company produce?

4) What prominent English actors of the past and present do you know? How many of them started their acting career at the theatre?

5) Are there any theatres for young people in England?

6) There is no special repertory for young people at the theatres, is there?

7) How can one improve the situation with theatres in small towns?

8) How can one make a theatrical production the longest-running?

9) Are there any longest-running theatrical productions in Russia?

10) What Russian person could be compared to Shakespeare in theatrical art?

22. To learn about theatres in Russia and Yekaterinburg render the following text into English (see Appendix 2).

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