Английский язык . Тема "Театр"

A VISIT TO THE THEATRE

 

Julia was a great theatre-goer, but her husband was not.

Tom (that was his name) liked neither plays, nor operas, nor ballets. He prefered hockey matches on TV.

Julia often told her husband that an educated and intelligent man must enjoy the real art and not that stuff on TV. But Tom wouldn’t listen.

So very often Julia had to enjoy the theatre alone.

But once she managed to take her husband to the theatre with her. They went to see a very famous play by a modern playwright, which was in the nearest theatre.

They came long before the performance began. A sing at the entrance read “House full”. There were many people around asking for an extra ticket.

Julia came up to the box-office. She said she had booked two tickets for the evening performance and soon got two good seats in the middle of the stalls.

Julia and Tom came in. They left their coats in the cloakroom and bought a programme. Julia was very glad to learn that the play had been staged by her famous director.

Sharp at seven the lights went down and the performance began.

The play was marvelous. Julia had nothing but enjoy every minute of it. The cast was well chosen. The scenery was beautiful. And what music!

And besides the play was full of humour and had a lot of funny episodes where the audience burnt into laughter and applause.

Julia was happy. She was delighted. “Now, my dear, do you understand what real art is?” she addressed her husband on the way home.

“Real art? What are you talking about?” answered Tom.

“About theatre, of cause. Such brilliant actors, beautiful costumes, music! Didn’t you like all that?”

“Ah, the performance. Yes, I like it. But, you know, there were some moments when the spectators laughed too loudly, so several times they woke me up and I had to open my eyes.”

 

VOCABULARY NOTES ON THE TEXT

a theatre-goer – театрал

prefer – предпочитать

playwright – драматург

an extra ticket – лишний билетик

box-office – касса

to book tickets – заказать билеты

performance – спектакль

stalls – партер

cast – состав исполнителей

scenery – декорации (употребляется в единственном числе)

audience – зрители

a storm of applause – шквал аплодисментов

to burst into laughter – разразиться смехом

to be delighted – быть в восторге

House full –   все билеты проданы

All sold out –

 

Dialogues

Dialogue №1

A: Why don’t you come to my place yesterday?

B: I was at the theatre.

A: Really? What was on?

B: Oh, it was the first night of “Pygmalion”.

A: The first night? How did you manage to get tickets?

B: My friend was lucky, his uncle works at the box-office.

A: Did you like the performance?

B: Rather. The acting was brilliant.

A: And what about the scenery?

B: It was also excellent: but I like the costumes most of all.

 

Dialogue №2

A: What a pity! I haven’t booked tickets for this performance.

B: Don’t worry. This play is not worth seeing.

A: Have you already seen it?

B: No, but my friend has.

A: Is the production so bad?

B: Not the production, but the actors. They don’t act, they only talk on the stage.

 

Dialogue №3

-          Hello. Can I have two tickets for the matinee performance?

-          I am sorry, but all the tickets for today are sold out.

-          Oh, what a pity! Perhaps you have something for tomorrow?

-          Let me see… Yes, there are some seats in left.

-          Wonderful. Could you give me two seats in the stalls?

-          I’m afraid there are no more tickets for the stalls. You can have the dress-circle or the balcony.

-          Dress-circle then. But give me something in the middle, if that is possible.

-          OK. Here are your tickets.

-          Thank you.

 

Dialogue №4

A: Have you seen the last play at the Art Theatre?

B: You mean “The Cherry Orchard”? Yes, I have. And I liked it though I had seen

     it before.

A: Where?

B: At the Maly Theatre. And, you know, I cannot see much difference between the

     two productions.

A: You mean they are alike?

B: No, they are both well-staged.

A: But which one did you like more?

B: I like the one at the Art Theatre. It was more dynamic.

A: And who played the leading parts?

B: Unfortunately, I don’t remember.

 

Dialogue №5

A: I was at the opera-house yesterday.

B: Did you like the performance?

A: Yes. But I think the production is not very good and the performance owes

     much of its charm to the singers.

B: Were they really good?

A: Yes. One of them is extremely gifted. He performed four arias and each time

      was met with a storm of applause.

B: Is it easy to get tickets for it?

A: By no means. In spite of the fact that the production has a long run. But try to

     book the tickets beforehand.

 

VOCABULARY NOTES ON THE DIALOGUES

first night – премьера

What a pity! – Какая жалость!

This play is not worth seeing. – Эту пьесу не стоит смотреть.

The performance owes much of its charm to the singers. – Спектакль своей привлекательностью обязан певцам.

The production has a long run. – Спектакль давно не сходит со сцены.

matinee performance – дневной спектакль

dress-circle – бельэтаж

leading parts – главные роли

 

GRAMMAR EXERCISES

Ex.1. Find in the text all the irregular verbs, give their three forms and use them in sentences.

 

Ex.2. Put the following into Reported speech. Vary the introductory verbs:

a)      “How are you, Miss Rosie?” he said. “Don’t you remember – Bill Summers – the Summers that lived near the blacksmith’s shop? I think I have grown a little since you left Cranberry. Eliza Perry told me I might see you in the city while I was here,” he went on, “ tou know, Eliza married Benny, and she says…”

“You don’t say so!” interrupted Miss Carrington. “Eliza Perry is married!”

“She married in June,” grinned the young  man, “and the youngest of the Walton girls ran away with a music teacher last March.”

“You don’t say so!” exclaimed Miss Carrington. “Excuse me a while gentleman, this is an old friend of mine. Come here, Mr. What is your name? Oh, yes, Mr. Summers. -  I shall call you Billy, may I? Come here Billy, and tell me some more.”

She led him to an isolated table in a corner. She sat down in front of him and laid her chin upon her hands.

“I don’t recollect any Bill Summers,” she said thoughtfully, gazing straight into the innocent blue eyes of the young man.

“Miss Rosie,” said he, “I called on your family just two or three days ago.”

“How is ma?” asked Miss Carrington.

The young man understood that a bit of pathos was necessary.

“She is older than she was, Miss Rosie. When I saw her last she was sitting at the door and looking at the road.”

“Billy,” she said, “I am waiting for Rosie. She went away down that road and something tells me she will come back that way again.”

b)      I was playing with the dog when a man came into the hall. He wore a beautiful uniform and I knew at once that he was general Miles. I knew him by the pictures in the newspapers.

“What a beautiful dog,” said he. “Is it your dog?”

I did not have time to answer him when he said: “Do you want to sell it?”

When I heard these words I thought about my friend and the three dollars which I had to get.

“Well, I … I think …”

“Good,” said the General. “How much do you want for it?”

“Three dollars,” I answered at once.

“Three dollars?” he asked. “But that is very little. I can give fifty dollars for it.”

“Well, it’s your dog. If you want three dollars for it, I shall be glad to buy your dog.”

General Miles paid me three dollars, took the dog, and went up to his room.

Ten minutes later an old man came into the hall. He looked round the hall. I could see that he was looking for something.

“Are looking for a dog, sir?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. Have you seen it?” said the man.

“Your dog was here a few minutes ago and I saw how it went away with a man”, I said.

“If you want, I shall try to find it for you.”

The man was very happy and asked me to help him.

“I shall be glad to help you, but it will take some of my time and …”

“I am ready to pay you for your time,” cried the man. “How much do you want for it?”

“Three dollars,” I answered.

“Three dollars?” said the man. “But it is a very good dog. I shall pay you ten dollars if you find it for me.”

“No sir. I want three dollars and not a dollar more,” I said.

Then I went to General Mile’s room. The General was playing with his nwe dog.

“I came here to take the dog back”, I said.

“But it is not your dog now, I have bought it. I have paid you three dollars for it”, said the General.

“I shall give you back your three dollars, but I must take the dog.”

“But you have sold it to me, it is my dog now.”

“I could not sell it to you, sir, because it was not my dog.”

“Do you want to tell that you took three dollars for a dog that was not yours?” cried the General.

“I took the money, but I never told you that it was my dog. You asked me how much I wanted for the dog, and I said that I wanted three dollars. But I never told you that it was my dog.”

General Miles was very angry now.

“Give me back my three dollars and take the dog back”, he shouted.

When I brought the dog back to it’s master, he was very happy and paid me three dollars with joy. I was happy too because I had the money, and I felt that I earned it.

 

Ex.3. Use indirect speech with the predicate of the principal clause in the Past Indefinite Tense. Introduce sentences with “They said”.

1.      They will stage Pygmalion at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre soon.

2.      Our favourite actress will play the part of Eliza.

3.      I hope we shall see the first night performance.

4.      We shall try to get seats in the dress circle.

5.      Surely there will be no spare tickets before the performance.

6.      It will not be easy to get good seats, I have no doubt.

7.      The spectators will occupy their seats long before curtain time.

8.      There will be no loud talk or even whisper during the performance.

 

Ex.4. Read the direct commands, requests, suggestions and change them into indirect one.

Father said to me: 1. Press my Sunday suit for tomorrow. 2. Find my opera-glasses. 3. Keep quiet during the performance. 4. Don’t move over to that seat.      5. Don’t rise to your feet until the curtain falls. 6. Don’t rush to the cloak-room before the lights go up.

The neighbor said to me: 1. Please, stop eating sweets and making that noise.  2. Please, don’t address me during the play. 3. Let me have a look at the programme, please. 4. Will you let me pass, please.

My friend said to me: 1. Let us go out to the refreshment room. 2. Let us look at these pictures. 3. Let’s find out who staged it first. 4. Let Nick get us a programme.

 

Ex.5. Translate into Russian:

1.      Он спросил секретаря, когда придет директор.

2.      Я спросил его, где ближайшее почтовое отделение.

3.      Он сказал нам, что переговоры ведутся уже около двух недель.

4.      Я спросил, придет ли он сюда вечером, и он ответил, что придет.

5.      Я спросил его, был ли он когда-нибудь в Средней Азии.

6.      Я спросил ее, идет ли дождь. Она ответила, что идет.

7.      Он велел сыну не ходить туда вечером.

8.      Я спросил секретаря, могу ли я поговорить с директором.

9.      Я спросил ее, знает ли она профессора А. Она ответила, что знает.

10.  Доктор сказал ему, чтобы он бросил курить.

 

VOCABULARY AND SPEECH EXERCISES

Ex.1. Answer the following questions:

1.      How do people know what is on at the theatre?

2.      Is it easy or difficult to get tickets for a good play?

3.      What do people have to do when tickets are hard to get?

4.      Where do people buy tickets?

5.      Are you a regular theatre-goer?

6.      Who is your favourite theatre actress?

7.      What part does she play?

8.      Do your friends like her acting too?

9.      Is it better to sit in the stalls or in the dress-circle?

10.  How far from the stage do you like to sit?

11.  How many times does the curtain go up and down during the performance?

12.  When do the lights go down?

13.  Do you buy tickets beforehand?

14.  What popular theatres are there in Moscow?

15.  Where is the Bolshoi Theatre situated?

16.  What is it famous for?

17.  Have you ever been to the Bolshoi Theatre?

18.  What opera or ballet did you see there?

19.  What kind of theatres are there in your city?

20.  What is your favourite theatre?

 

Ex.2. Read and translate the dialogue.

 

AFTER THE THEATRE

 

Helen and Robert are a married couple. They are leaving the theatre after the play. They have enjoyed the play and are now discussing it.

 

Robert: Well, how did you enjoy the play, Helen?

Helen: Oh, enormously! I thought the production was really brilliant and so was

            the acting.

R: If Nelson, my favourite actor, hadn’t been ill, it would have been even better.

    They  say he’s wonderful in the part of the inspector.

H: But his understudy was very good too, particularly in the last act. Of course the

     plot was rather absurd.

R: It is usually in the detective plays.

H: Take the wife, for instance. She didn’t behave like a normal human being at all.

     If she had only owned up to her husband, he would have settled the whole

     business in no time.

R: But she was supposed to be a dumb blonde. And if she hadn’t been, there

     wouldn’t have been a plot, would there?

H: And you know, there wouldn’t have been a second murder if the inspector

     hadn’t told everybody about this plans.

R: But then the audience would have had to go home at the end of the first act.

H: Then take that episode with the revolver. If he had had any sense, he would

     have told his wife about the gun instead of trying to hide it.

R: It’s a pity you didn’t write the play, Helen. If you had, you would have made a

     much better job of it. The wife would have confessed to her husband, he would

     have told the inspector and there would not have any corpses. A much better

     play altogether.

H: Stop making fun of me, Robert. I’ve always been very interested in the theatre.

     My mother was an actress, you know. If she hadn’t given up the stage when she   

     got married, she would have become famous.

R: And if you hadn’t taken up shorthand and typing, you would have become a

    great dramatist, I suppose.

H: Well, as a matter of fact a scetch I wrote has been performed by our local

     dramatic society, and I’m working on another right now for our anniversary

     celebrations.

R: Really, Helen. You must show it to me.

H: Not until it’s ready. I might send you a ticket for the opening. But only if you

     behave.

R: I’ll be very good from now on.

 

Ex.3. Read the text and retell it:

 

BRITISH DRAMA THEATRE TODAY

 

Britain is now one of the world’s major theatre centres. Many British actors and actress are known all over the world.

Drama is so popular with people of all ages that there are several thousand amateur dramatic societies.

Now Britain has about 300 professional theatres. Some of them are privately owned. The tickets are not hard to get but they are very expensive. 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 produces plays mainly by Shakespeare and his contemporaries when it performs in Stanford-on-Avon, and modern plays in its two auditoria in the City’s Barbican Centre.

Shakespeare’s Globe Playhouse, was reconstructed on its original site. Many other cites and large towns have at least one theatre.

There are many theatres and theatre companies for young people: the National Youth Theatre and the Young Vic Company in London, the Scottish Youth Theatre in Edinburgh. The National Youth Theatre, which stages classical plays mainly by Shakespeare and modern plays about youth, was on tour in Russia in 1989. The theatre-goers warmly received the production of Thomas Stearns Eliot’s play “Murder in the Cathedral”. Many famous English actors started their careers in the National Youth Theatre.

 

Ex.4. Read the text and retell it:

 

THE THEATRE IN THE USA

 

The theatre in America is less popular than the cinema. When television became popular, theatre lost a great deal of its attraction. Besides, theatre tickets are so expensive that the theatre is a luxury.

 

Most new plays are presented first on Broadway. If a play is a hit, it may be shown for a long time, which is the case with many musicals.

Some people say that America’s greatest contribution to the theatre is musical comedy. The kind of performance is a play in which music, lyrics and dance help to tell a story. Some popular American musical comedies are: Oklahoma! (1943), My Fair Lady (1956), Hello, Dolly (1964), A Chorus Line (1975). All these musical comedies have been Broadway Shows.

The nation’s leading opera and ballet companies are situated in New York in Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts, where there is also a symphony orchestra, a theatre and a library museum. Classical music can be heard in Carnegie Hall. Films coupled with a stage show may be seen in Radio City Music Hall, one of the world’s largest theatres seating over six thousand people.

 

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

a great deal of smth. – больше количество чего-л.

a ticket – билет

expensive – дорогой

luxury – роскошь

to present – показывать

which is the case with – что верно в отношении

a contribution – вклад

lyrics – лирические стихи

coupled with – связанный с

a stage show – театральное шоу

seating – вмещающий

 

Ex.5. Read the text and translate it:

 

Moscow State Theatre of Dance “Gzhel” is a unique phenomenon in the Art of Choreography of Russia.

The Theatre was founded to commemorate the 650^th anniversary of the ancient Russian handcraft as a sign of deep respect to the rich heritage of the craftsmen.

The Theatre’s founder and its Art Director – People’s Artist of Russia Vladimir Zakharov – was the first to bring back the beauty of Russian folk art and to show the best handmade creations by means of plastic choreography.

The Theatre has many successful performances both in Russia and abroad in different countries and continents – from Europe to South America, from the Middle East to china and Japan – and everywhere the spectators welcome the artists warmly.

In Moscow the Theatre has its performances on the best stages such as: State Central “Russia” Concert hall, Music Hall Theatre.

In December, 1998 to the Theatre’s 10^th anniversary there was opened the Chamber Hall of the Theatre; the interiors of which are made in gzhel tradition: chandeliers, tiles, fireplaces – all these were founded by talented gzhel craftsmen.

You may have a rest in Mayolika Hall and the lobby of the Theatre where you’ll find the pictures and other documents about  the Theatre and an exhibition of the best creations in gzhel style.

There is a Theatre Cafe in the main Hall where the traditional Russian dishes are served on Gzhel’s crock.

 

I.                   Be ready to talk on one of the following topics:

1.      Why I like to go to the theatre.

2.      My last visit to the theatre.

3.      A play that has impressed me.

4.      Sharing impressions after a performance.

I.                   Tell the biography of your favorite actor, actress, singer or dancer.