Use the information below to speak about

A. The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain:

Location: the South Bank of the river Thames.

History: 1848 - the idea of a National Theatre was first suggested.

1963 – a national company actually started working.

1976 – the present South-bank building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

Facilities: NT (National Theatre) complex comprises a) the Oliver (named after the actor Sir Laurence Olivier) (capacity – 1.160); b) the Lyttelton (capacity 890); c) the Cottesloe (capacity 400).

Employees: 750 people to run the theatre complex; a full-time company of 120 actors.

B. World Famous Theatres:

The Bolshoy Theatre (Moscow)(stages classical ballets andoperas).

Broadway Theatres (New York) (stage famous plays and musicals. Success on Broadway is the sweetest thing that can happen to a person in show business).

Covent Garden Theatre (Royal Opera House) (London) (stages operas sung in the original languages).

The Globe Theatre (London) (offers a choice of popular plays and musicals).

The Metropolitan Opera Association (the Met) (New York) (‘I sang at the Met’ is enough to prove that a singer has gained the international status).

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (situated outside London, at Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace) (stages plays by W. Shakespeare and his contemporaries).

 

EFFECTS OF THE THEATRE. SHARING IMPRESSIONS

 

Use a dictionary to find out the Russian equivalents for the following adjectives.

THE PERFORMANCE WAS

 

breathtaking appalling

brilliant awful

entertaining boring

exciting disappointing

hilarious dreadful

magnificent dull

marvellous rotten

moving uninspiring

thrilling weak

 

THE CHARACTERS WERE

convincing predictable

original weak

realistic

well-developed

 

Work with a partner. Ask him/her what theatrical performance he/she last saw. Encourage him/her to share his/ her impressions.

Make up a conversation where one of the speakers says the performance was very good while the other finds some points to criticize.

Work with a partner. Make up a conversation using the cue cards below.

CUE CARD 1	CUE CARD 2	CUE CARD 3
A friend of yours went to see the new production at the theatre. Ask him/her about: 1) the type of the play he saw; 2) the playwright; 3) the plot; 4) the cast.	You are in Moscow on a short business trip and you want to see some play. Find out about: 1) theatres which are most popular with public; 2) types of plays staged there; 3) location of the theatre you want to go to.	You are calling the theatre box-office. Find out about: 1) tickets available for tonight (Sunday, etc); 2) prices; 3) length of the play; 4) discounts.

Role-play the following situation.

Divide into groups of three. Two of you should discuss which play or musical to choose. (See advertisements below). Prove your choice talking about a) type of the play you’ve chosen to see; b) tickets; c) location of the theatre; d) length of the play; e) facilities available.

Call the theatre box-office for tickets. The third person in the group is the ticket agent.

 

Use your dictionary to find out the meaning of the abbreviations used in the advertisements.

R B.SHERIDAN The SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL – a good picture of England’s high society and a biting satire on the morals of the 18th century! NATIONAL THEATRE. COTTESLOW (small auditorium). Tomorr., Tue., Wed., Thur. and Sat. at 2.00. Excellent cheap seats. 20 discounted tickets are available at the box-office for students and senior citizens (2 hrs. 45 min.)

 

SIR A. L. WEBBER’S JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR – the highly successful musical that has warmed hearts in England and overseas! THE GLOBE THEATRE. 555-4828 Tues.-Sat. at 8.00; Wed. and Sat. 2.00 (3 hrs 15 min.) & 25- & 60; Car park. Restaurant 92820033.

 

A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING - the play by Phillip Hayes Dean about modern life and moral tensions in modern society! T H E D E N T I S T REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE Mon.-Sat. at 8.00, Wed. and Sat. at 2.00 & 30 - &50 (2 hrs)

PART 2

 

Presenting Arguments For and Against an Issue

Often it is quite important to present the arguments BOTH FOR and AGAINST a claim which means trying to be objective and seeing both sides of an issue. Here are some helpful phrases you can use to do that:

 

1. This (that) of course has its negatives as well as its positives ……………………………………………….

2. Don’t forget about the other side of the problem..........................................................................

3. Let’s look at the whole problem from a realistic point of view...........................................................................

4. On the plus side, it is …………………………………………………………

5. However, for every plus there is a minus………...

6. I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages ….……………………………………………………...

What is more,

8. That’s very good, but you’ve got to take into account the fact that ……………………………………………

9. You can’t deny that...................................................

10. On the one hand it is................., on the other hand it is.......................................................................................

TV or not TV?

 

A wife insists that the family should get rid of their TV set because TV is a bad influence, and she doesn’t want her children growing up around it. Her husband is arguing with her. These are their arguments:

A G A I N S T	F O R
1. TV news is superficial. That’s why people get a distorted view of the world.	1. TV offers educational programmes to all levels of viewer age and interest.
2. TV exposes children to violence and bad language.	2. TV informs people of current events.
3. TV commercials are offensive.	3. TV commercials keep people informed of new products.
4. Many children who often watch TV may not be able to distinguish between fantasy and reality.	4. TV provides entertainment.
5. TV sets families apart.	5. TV keeps company to lonely people.