At the theatre

Task 1:  Match.

1)      a box                           a) сцена

2)      a gallery \ balcony      b) партер

3)      a dress circle               c) ложа

4)      an amphitheatre          d) ложи балкона

5)      stalls                           e) ложи  бенуара

6)      a stage                        f) місце

7)      lower boxes                g) бельетаж

8)      dress circle boxes       h) ложи бельетаж

9)      gallery boxes              i) балкон

10)  a seat                          j) ряд

11)  a row                          k) амфітеатр

Task 2: Read the text below. Match choices 1-5 to A-D. There is one choice you do not need to use.

1.      How to buy tickets.

2.      At the theatre.

3.      My favourite play.

4.      Some facts about London theatres.

5.      Our last visit to the theatre.

A There are many theatres in our country. They show dramas, tragedies, and comedies. To tell you the truth I'm a great theatre lover. I try to see the most interesting performances in our greatest theatres like Alexandrinsky theatre. As a rule I go to the evening performances (usually they begin at 7 p.m.) It is rather difficult for me to book the tickets beforehand because the performances are very famous. Sometimes we come to the theatre and see the sign "House full", but there are many people standing near and asking for the extra-tickets. I usually go there with my friends or parents. So we leave our coats in the cloak-room and bought a programme to know who is in the cast. We are shown our seats. As for usual we take places in the stalls, but also people like to watch the performance from the boxes, balconies and pits. After the 3 ring the light go down and the curtain drops.

B If you want to go to the theatre you should think about some things beforehand. First of all go to the box office and ask if they have seats for the day you want. Don't forget that the most expensive seats are in the front stalls or in the boxes, and the cheapest are in the gallery. The seats in the dress circle are not so expensive, but quite good, especially if they are in the first and second row. If you can't decide about your seats you can look at the map of the hall which usually is on the wall of the boxoffice and can be quite helpful.

C Last month our family went to the theatre. We saw the play "Romeo and Juliet". Our seats were in the dress circle. It was a wonderful performance. I enjoyed every minute of the play. The actors were really very good, especially the actress playing Juliet. Her dress was beautiful.I like Shakespeare's plays. I've always wanted to see "Romeo and Juliet" in the theatre. I would like to know more about William Shakespeare and see all his plays in the theatre.

D There are a great number of theatres in London: the chief theatres, music-halls and so on. They are mainly in the West End. No doubt; you will easily find the way to spend an enjoyable evening in London. You can choose opera, ballet, drama, comedy, variety, musical comedy.

All the theatres and music halls have their own orchestras with popular conductors. If you are an opera-goer, you are sure to get best of everything - an excellent orchestra, famous conductors and singers and well-dressed audience. But if you don't like music and singing, opera will be boring for you.

At the theatres situated in the West End you can see plenty of famous actors and actresses. It goes without saying that the plays here are magnificently staged.

Task 3: Put the phrases in a correct order to make the dialogue “After the Play”

A	B
-          Did you enjoy the play? -          So do I. -          No, I didn’t. The women danced badly and the men who danced seemed nervous. -          Did you really enjoy the play? -          What did you like?	-          Oh, everything. -          Yes, I enjoyed it very much. I adore plays. -          Yes, of course I did. -          Yes, you are right. -          You didn’t like the first act, did you?