Unit6. Theatre.  cinema.     television

   INTRODUCTORY TEXT

· Theatre first appeared in ancient Greece. Since that time it has been the place where people go to be entertained and amused or just to spend an evening. Others take it more seriously. They think that the quality of theatre is a good register of a country’s democratic values, for it is on the stage that some of the most painful questions can be asked about the way we live.

“Theatre is increasingly unpopular nowadays. It has lost a great deal of its attraction. People can go to a nightclub or a disco, or just to watch a video at home. ‘So, why go to the theatre?’ - this is what some of us, especially the younger generation, may say. Some would argue saying that theatre is a simple, but mysterious form of communication between the actors and the audience which cannot be replaced by other forms of entertainment.

· British theatre is among the liveliest and most innovative in the world. Over 300 commercial theatres operate in the country, 100 of these in London, and about 40 of them in London’s famous West End. However, the real vitality of British theatre is to be found in the pub theatres all over the country. They stage what will fill the house, which means there is an emphasis on musicals, comedy and other forms of light entertainment. They depend on foreign tourists to fill up 40 per cent of seats. Almost all of the theatres in Great Britain receive some government subsidy, but significantly less than in continental Europe. One of the largest centres in Europe is the Barbican. It includes two Royal Shakespeare Theatre auditoriums and a London Symphony orchestra concert hall with 2000 seats.

    English drama is completely dominated by William Shakespeare. The other two outstanding playwrights of Shakespeare’s time are Christopher Marlowe and Ben Johnson. Among other outstanding dramatists are Richard Sheridan, Bernard Shaw, Sean O’Casey.

· The theatrical centre of the United States is New York City. Most important plays are produced there. It is divided into two parts. One centres around Broadway, which is one of the city’s most important streets. Almost all the large commercial theatres are located on or near Broadway in the midtown area. Most Broadway theater-goers seem to prefer musicals and sophisticated dramas or comedies featuring one or two highly paid stars. However, you don’t have to be in New York to see a Broadway show. Many of the shows go on tour to theatres across the country. In many cities in the USA, you can go to the ‘ dinner theatre’ where you can sit at tables and eat dinner, and then watch the show.   

Some of the theatres operate in buildings once used as garages, offices, and stores. Sometimes there is no raised stage. Then the cast performs in the centre of the room, surrounded on all sides by the audience. This is known as ‘ theatre-in-the-round’.

Unlike many other countries, there is no nationally subsidized theatre in the USA. Some acting companies receive financial help from the National Endowment for the Arts, foundations, and a few communities. Frequently commercial theatres must charge very high prices for tickets in order to pay production costs and make some profit. As a result, many people who love theatre cannot afford to go often.

America’s most important playwrights are considered to be E. O’Neill, T. Wilder and William Saroyan. Of the younger dramatists T. Williams and A. Miller are considered the most prominent.      

· Cinema is the most popular form of entertainment for millions of people all over the world. The biggest “dream factories ” are in Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Malibu. The average Hollywood film costs $ 12 milllion to make. Hollywood produces many different kinds of films, including mysteries, comedies, musicals, love stories, and horror films. As different as these films may be, they generally have one thing in common – the conflict. Most of them have a happy end. Even small towns in the USA have at least one movie-theater showing the latest movies.     

The history of American cinema has been closely intertwined (зд. связана, переплетена) with the history of British cinema. British films have made an impact in the American market, and actors and directors such as Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock have become integral to the history of the American film. In addition to this, Britain through its literature and history has provided a rich source of subject matter for American films, from Sherlock Holmes films in the 20s, horror films in the 30s, Shakespeare adaptations in the 90s. For a long time the films remained very theatre orientated, filming a play exactly as it had been performed on the stage and with the same actors and sets. The result was very poor - films were not worth watching and nobody wanted to go to the cinema. This opened the door to the American industry, and American companies moved into the U.K. to make quality British films.

· Television plays an important part in daily life, social activities, cultural and educational causes. In Great Britain it is chiefly run by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Independent Television Commission (ITC). The BBC does all the broadcasting in Britain; its programmes have been available to most homes since 1939. BBC channels cater for different tastes. They provide almost continuous pop and rock music, operetta and comedy, both of which can be enjoyed with as little effort as possible on the part of the listener. The other offer classical music and also programmes of minority interests in culture and the arts or give the main news broadcasts, drama, educational programmes for schools. There is no advertising on any BBC programme. 

In the USA the whole stations specialize in certain kinds of programming. Some of the channels are devoted exclusively to news (CNN), sport (ESPN 1 and 3), weather, and popular music (MTV). It is possible to watch television twenty-four hours a day.

 Television viewing is one of the most popular leisure pastimes both in the USA and Great Britain. Americans watch TV about 35 hours a week, British - 25 hours a week.

 

 

Answer the following questions.

 

 

1. Why do people go to the theatre?

2. What are ‘ pub theatres ’? What kind of productions do

they stage?

3. Who are the most famous British and American dramatists?

4. What is the centre of the theatrical life in the USA?

5. What is a) a ‘dinner theatre’, b ) a ‘theatre-in-the-round’?

6. What films are produced in Hollywood?

7. In what way has the history of the British cinema been closely intertwined with the history of American cinema?

8. What are the major television channels in Great Britain and in the USA? What kind of programmes do they specialize in?

 

 

                                    PART 1

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

THEATRE, CINEMA, TELEVISION

 

 

Theatre Building		Types of Theatre		People in Show Business
box-office, foyer, cloakroom, dressing room House (Auditorium) back stalls, boxes, dress-circle, front stalls, gallery, orchestra pit, rows, upper circle		·    amateur theatricals    Drama Theatre  Musical Theatre  Opera House  Puppet Theatre		director host MC (master of ceremonies) playwright presenter producer prompter script-writer stage-designer	cast company extra leading-man / lady star(let)

 

 

What They Do: audition, direct, cast, host, screen, stage, perform, play, present, produce, rehearse

AUDIENCE

ask for a spare ticket, buy tickets, clap / applaud, encore, reserve tickets

GENRES

Theatre: ballet, comedy, drama, farce, melodrama, musical, opera, operetta, tragedy, tragicomedy, variety

Cinema: adventure/action film, cartoon, disaster film, fantasy film, historical film, fiction film, love story, science fiction film, thriller, war film, western

TV: chat show, dating show, current affairs programme, documentary, panel show, quiz show, reality show, series, soap opera

 

 

Additional Vocabulary: to broadcast; to be dubbed (sub-titled); to enjoy an international reputation; to entertain; to have a long run; to shoot a film (inf);

a blockbuster; a character; a costume; a curtain call; a four-act play; a heavy viewer; a screen-version; a “sold-out’ sign/notice; a TV-channel.

 

    Mind the preposition: to audition for a part of (Hamlet, etc); to go on tour; to be cast as (Hamlet, etc); to be a great success with public (audience, etc); to be of great artistic value; to be greatly impressed by smth; to burst into applause; to sit glued to the screen;

    a ticket for the play (performance); a ticket to the theatre; at the booking-office; in verse; on the repertoire.

 

 

                       Conversational Clichés

What’s on (at the theatre, at the cinema, on TV) tonight?

What are they giving tonight? (theatre)

There goes the first (second, third) bell. (theatre)

VOCABULARY PRACTICE