Comprehension and Discussion Questions

1. What purposes does the theatre serve?

2. In what places were old-times theatres located?

3. What is required for the theatre to be called so?

4. What are the four essentials for the theatre, according to P. Brook’s saying?

5. What are the main elements of the theatre performance?

6. What do actors portray?

7. What does the attendance of the play or theatre reveal?

8. What types of performances are known to you now?

9. What part of the stage is the proscenium?

10. According to what do Western theatres fall into six types?

11. What, in your understanding, is the audience feedback?

12. How does the theatre audience differ from the reader of the book?

13. What is a common goal of people working in the theatre?

14. How else can an actor be called, taking into consideration, that theatre is known as a kind of arts?

15. What organs of senses are getting active while performing?

16. What is the main goal of the actor on stage?

IX. Match the words with their definitions. Be ready to make up sentences of your own with these active vocabulary units.

1. Conductor	a) an area on the stage, hidden from the audience, from which a person (prompter) helps actors on stage to revise the words of their parts
2.Orchestra pit	b)) the part of a theatre stage in front of the curtain
3. Balcony	c) the sides of a theatre stage out of view of the audience
4. Wings	d) special sections in the theatre hall, where theatre-goes leave their coats, hats, umbrellas for a period of a performance
5. Footlights	e) a sunken area where from the musicians play music to accompany the theatre performance
6. Cast	f) a person, who meets you at the theatre auditorium entrance door, checks your tickets and shows you to your seat
7. Leading part	g) a big in size and grandeur in appearance lighting device in the theatre auditorium, usually switched on during the intervals, before the performance and when it is over
8. Stalls	h)) a person who directs the performance of an orchestra
9. Dress-circle	i) a special spacy room in the theatre, where theatre costumes are warded
10. Box	j) a hidden from the audience’s eyes area, located behind the main stage
11.Interval	k) the place in the theatre where you can buy tickets or book them beforehand
12. Cloak-room	l) a room for a theatre actor to get ready for a performance
13. Usher	m) a refectory place in the theatre you may go to during the interval to refresh yourself and have a bite
14. Box-office	n) the most expensive seats in the theatre, located right in front of the stage
15. Buffet	o) the main role the actors play
16. Chandelier	p) the highest tier of seats in a theatre, above the dress or upper circle
17. Backstage	q) seats in the theatre, located on either side of the stage
18. Wardrobe-room	r) located on the stage and above to make the stage seen in the dark auditorium, when the performance is being played
19. Make up room	s) seats in the theatre auditorium above the ground floor
20. Prompt box	t) a set of actors taking part in a performance
21. Proscenium	v) a break between acts of a performance

X. Which of the following corresponds to the words in the above table?

· A musician, who leads the orchestra

· A role, which is major in the play

· A place you can have refreshments in the theatre

· A 10-15 minute pause, when the first half of the performance is over and the audience may walk the theatre building

· Usually crystal and enormous in size

· A person bothering about how easy you will find your seats in the theatre auditorium, providing you with correct directions

· Theatre premises where costumes are stored and made

· You may request theatre tickets from

· The audience will never see you if you hide behind them. They are on both sides of the stage.

· System of lights on and over the theatre stage.

· A person, who helps the actors with the words

XI. Study some extra-vocabulary on the topic.

Revival	Возобновление прежней постановки
Arrive at the theatre	Прибывать к театру
Attend a show	Посещать представление
А variety of choices	Большой выбор
Are available	Есть в наличии
Etiquette	Этикет
Find out about	Узнать о
Ticketmaster	Крупнейшая в мире фирма по продаже театральных билетов
At one’s fingertips	Под рукой
Discounted tickets	Билеты со скидкой
To be on time	Прийти вовремя
A good rule of thumb	Хорошее общепринятое правило
To show up	Появляться, приходить
To warm up	Готовиться к выступлению
Intermission (AE)	Антракт, перерыв
Loud candy wrapper	Шуршащая обертка конфеты
Throat drops	Капли для горла
To take smb out of the performance	Отвлечь от представления
To ruin	Испортить, нарушить
Children under the age of 12	Дети в возрасте до 12 лет
Performers	Актеры
Be quiet	Быть тихим
An air of suspended disbelief	Атмосфера недоверия
Elaborate sets	Искусно выполненные декорации
To be caught up with	Приблизиться к

Before you head out to the theatre for the first time you should be aware of theatre etiquette.

XI. Team work. Make up some teams of 3 or 4 students. Fill in the gaps choosing the words from the above table. Write a literary translation of the text. The best one will be highly assessed.

Theatre ( a) _________________

When you attend a show at the theatre today, you have

(b) ____________: musicals, comedies, dramas, new works, (c) __________. Here is help on choosing the right show for you, your group or your family. Discounts are often (d) __________, too, even for hit shows. Finally, it's important to know what to do once you (e) ____________. What are the "do's" and "don'ts?" There are some instructions for you to follow.

1.The first thing that you will need to do to attend a theatre performance is to get tickets. No matter where you live you should be able (f) _____________local theatre in your local paper. If you live in a major city such as Chicago or Los Angeles you should be able to find out about theatre from (g) _____________. If you live in New York then all you have to do is walk down 42nd Street and you will have theatre at your (h) ________. In NYC there is also a great resource called TKTS where you can learn about shows both on and off Broadway and can sometimes get some great (i) __________________.

2. Once you have your ticket and are on the way to the theatre you will want (j) ________. Fifteen minutes before the show is scheduled to start is (k) ____________ as to when to (l) __________. If you show up too early then you may have to wait outside as the cast is still on the stage

(m) ___________. If you get there late you may have to stand in the back or wait until (n) ________________ to go to your seat and enjoy the show.

3. Once you are seated, get settled. Turn off your cell phone and open any (o) ______________________ you may have. Generally you will not be allowed to take food or drinks into the theatre but if you need a hard candy or (p)____________ then take it before the show begins.

4. Realize that the theatre is not the same as the movies. When you talk in the movies the people on screen will not hear you, but in the theatre the actors will. If you are talking during the performance you will take everyone both on stage and off (q) ____________and can (r) _________ the moment.

There have been instances when all the (s) __________on stage are so bothered by someone in the audience they will stop the show and wait for you to finish whatever is so important that you could not wait until intermission. If you can’t (t) ____________during the show, then stay home. This is why at many theatres (v)____________________are not allowed inside.

5. In the theatre there is an (u) ______________________. Theatre (w) _______are not as (x) ____________ as movie locations and sometimes you just have to let yourself believe. Do not spend your time looking into the wings for the actors or up at the lights to see the special effects. Let yourself (y) _____________in the moment with the story and the cast.