Work in mini-groups. Write down the key words and share your list with other groups. Render the text with the help of the list of keywords you have got.
19. You are going to read the text on British theatre. Before reading comment on the following:
- Laurence Olivier - was an English actor who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles.
- John Gielgud - was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trio of actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. A member of the Terry family theatrical dynasty, he gained his first paid acting work as a junior member of his cousin Phyllis Neilson-Terry's company in 1922. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art he worked in repertory theatre and in the West End before establishing himself at the Old Vic as an exponent of Shakespeare.
- the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden - is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden". It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Originally called the Theatre Royal, it served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented.
- The Royal National Theatre - (generally known as the National Theatre) in London is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain.
- The Royal Shakespeare Company - is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Newcastle upon Tyne and on tour across the UK and internationally.
- Barbican Centre - is a performing arts centre in the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory. The Barbican Centre is member of the Global Cultural Districts Network.
- Thomas Stearns Eliot - was a British essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic, and "one of the twentieth century's major poets". He moved from his native United States to England in 1914 at the age of 25, settling, working, and marrying there. He eventually became a British subject in 1927 at the age of 39, renouncing his American citizenship.
- The National Youth Theatre in London - is a registered charity in London. It is committed to the development of young people through the medium of creative arts, and aims to use theatre to aid in this objective. It was founded in 1956 as the world's first youth theatre. Every year, the National Youth Theatre holds acting auditions and technical theatre interviews around the United Kingdom; on average, it receives over 4,500 applicants. Currently, around 500 places are offered on summer intake acting and technical courses (in costume, lighting and sound, scenery and prop making, and stage management), which offer participants membership of the National Youth Theatre upon completion.
20. Nine sentences (or parts of sentences) have been removed from Text 11. Choose among the sentences A – J the one which fits each gap (1 – 9). There is one extra sentence. Check yourself.
| A. The tickets are not hard to get but they are very expensive |
| B. The theatre-goers warmly received the production of Thomas Stearns Eliot’s play “Murder in the Cathedral” |
| C. Its centre is, of course, London, where successful plays can sometimes run without a break for many years |
| D. …well-known television actors, though they might make the most of their money in this latter medium, continues to see themselves as first and foremost theatre actors |
| E. …a safe opportunity to look behind the mask of accepted social behaviour |
| F. For example, every town in the country has at least one ‘amateur dramatics’ society, which regularly gives performances and charges no more than enough to cover its costs |
| G. Broadway, when looking for its next blockbuster musical, pays close attention to London productions |
| H. There 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 |
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