The word theatre comes from a greek word meaning a place for seeing in this

Текст.
The word «theatre» comes from a Greek word meaning a place for seeing. In this sense, the word refers to the space where performances are staged. However in a broad sense, theatre includes everything that is involved in production, such as the script, the stage, the performing com­pany, and the audience. In addition, theatre refers to a part of human culture that began in ancient times.Theatre is not the same as drama, though the words are frequently used interchangeably. Drama refers to the literary part of a performance that is the play. There are different forms of drama, such as tragedy, seri­ous drama, melodrama, and comedy.Theatre is one of the most complex arts. It requires many kinds of artists for its creation. These specialists include a playwright, perform­ers, a director, a scene designer, a costumier, a lighting designer, and var­ious technicians. For many productions composers, musicians, and a choreographer (a creator of dances) are needed. A director of the the­atre integrates all aspects of production including scenery, costumes, makeup, lighting, sound effects, music, and dancing.There are many people who love and visit different kinds of theatres: drama theatres, musical theatres, puppet theatres, opera and ballet hous­es. A successful theatrical event is an exciting and stimulating experience.There are a lot of theatres around the world. The theatrical centre the United Kingdom is London. There are more than 40 theatres in West End of London, such as the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which operate a repertory system and use a regular company. The best-known centre of professional theatre in the United State is New York City, though Chicago and Los Angeles have become major centers as well. Moscow and St. Petersburg are the two major theatre centers in Russia. The Maly and Bolshoi Theatre are known all over the world.
Задание.
Agree or disagree with the following statements. Add some more informations.
1. Theatre is the same as drama. 2. Theatre is one of the most com­plex arts. 3. There are different kinds of theatres. 4. There are not many theatres in West End of London. 5. There are many theatres in Moscow.

The word «theatre»
comes from a Greek word meaning a place for seeing. In this sense,
the word refers to the space where performances are staged. However
in a broad sense, theatre includes everything that is involved in
production, such as the script, the stage, the performing com­pany,
and the audience. In addition, theatre refers to a part of human
culture that began in ancient times.

Theatre is not the same as
drama, though the words are frequently used interchangeably. Drama
refers to the literary part of a performance that is the play. There
are different forms of drama, such as tragedy, seri­ous drama,
melodrama, and comedy.

Theatre is one of the most
complex arts. It requires many kinds of artists for its creation.
These specialists include a playwright, perform­ers, a director,
a scene designer, a costumier, a lighting designer, and var­ious
technicians. For many productions composers, musicians, and a
choreographer (a creator of dances) are needed. A director of the
the­atre integrates all aspects of production including scenery,
costumes, makeup, lighting, sound effects, music, and dancing.

There
are many people who love and visit different kinds of theatres: drama
theatres, musical theatres, puppet theatres, opera and ballet
hous­es. A successful theatrical event is an exciting and
stimulating experience.

There
are a lot of theatres around the world. The theatrical centre the
United Kingdom is London. There are more than 40 theatres in West End
of London, such as the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare
Theatre, which operate a repertory system and use a regular company.
The best-known centre of professional theatre in the United State is
New York City, though Chicago and Los Angeles have become major
centers as well. Moscow and St. Petersburg are the two major theatre
centers in Russia. The Maly and Bolshoi Theatre are known all over
the world.

EXERCISE
11. Read
and give a summary of the text.

Music in our life

Music
is one of the oldest arts. People probably started singing as soon as
language developed. Many ancient peoples, including the Egyptians,
Chinese, Babylonians, and the people of India, used music in
religious ceremonies. The first written music dates from about 2500
В.
С

Nowadays,
music takes many forms around the world. There are two chief kinds of
music: classical and popular. Classical music includes symphonies,
operas, and ballets. Popular music includes country music, folk
music, jazz, rock music, etc.

Music
plays a major role in other arts. Opera combines singing orchestral
music with drama. Ballet and other forms of dancing n. music to help
the dancers. Film and TV dramas use music to help mood and emphasize
the action.

Music
plays an important part in all cultures and social activities.
Nearly all peoples use music in their religious services to create a
state of mystery and awe, a feeling of distance from the daily world.
Many. people perform music for their own satisfaction. Singing in a
choir, playing a musical instrument in a band can be very enjoyable.
Music provides people with a way to express their feelings.

EXERCISE
12. Find
in the texts English equivalents for these words and word
combinations:

место
для просмотра, в этом смысле, однако, в
широком смысле слова, где осуществляется
постановка спектаклей, театральная
труппа, публика, человеческая культура,
в древние времена, хотя, взаимозаменяемо,
то есть, такие как, один из самых сложных
видов искусства, различные технические
работники, для многих спектаклей,
объединяет, грим, освещение, кукольные
театры, театры оперы и балета, успешное
театральное событие, по всему миру,
постоянная труппа, также, главные
театральные центры, как только, в
религиозных церемониях, относится к,
до нашей эры, в наши дни, принимает многие
формы, музыка в стиле «кантри»,
фольклорная музыка, создать настроение,
усилить действие, в об­щественной
деятельности, почти все народы, состояние
тайны и благоговейного страха, повседневная
жизнь, выражение чувств.

EXERCISE
13.
a)
Find in the texts the words, which have the similar meanings as the
following words:

watching, comprises, started,
old, often, various, complicated, com­bines, many, main, also,
perhaps, to assist, almost, wide;

b) Find in the texts the
words, which have the opposite meanings to the following words:

narrow, finished, simple, the
youngest, the last, without, rest.

EXERCISE
14.
Fill
in the blanks with the missing words in the fol­lowing sentences;
the first letter of each word has been given to help you:

1.
The
performances are staged in the t… 2. The words «theatre»
and «d…» are used interchangeably. 3. Theatre requires
many kinds of art­ists, such as performers, a
lighting
designer, a s… designer, etc. 4. There are different kinds of
theatres, such as drama theatres, opera and ballet houses, p…
theatres, etc. 5. A successful performance is always an e…
experience. 6. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre operates ar… system.
7. Chicago and Los Angeles are m… theatrical centers as well. 8.
Many peoples use m… in religious ceremonies. 9. Opera combines
singing and o… music with drama. 10. Films use music to set the
m….

EXERCISE
15.
Find
in the texts, translate, and analyze:

a)
grammar forms with the ending -ing:

a Greek word meaning a place
for seeing

the performing company

a lighting designer

all aspects of production
including scenery, dancing, etc.

an exciting and stimulating
experience

many ancient people including
the Egyptians, Chinese

people started singing

opera combines singing and
orchestral music

other forms of dancing

singing in a choir

playing a musical instrument

b)
grammar forms with the ending -ed:

are
staged
people
started singing

is
involved
language
developed

are
used
they
used music

are needed the United States

c)
grammar
forms with the ending -s:

the word comes from the word refers to theatre includes the words drama refers different forms it requires many kinds these specialists various technicians social activities

a lot of theatres the Egyptians religious ceremonies the music dates from music takes many forms music includes symphonies music plays a major role opera combines in all cultures

EXERCISE
16. Complete
the following sentences in a logical way:

1.
The word «theatre» comes from a Greek word meaning …

2.
Theatre includes everything that is involved in production, such as
…

3.
Theatre refers to a part of human culture that…

4.
Theatre is not the same as drama though …

5.
Theatre requires many kinds of artists for …

6.
A director of the theatre integrates all aspects of …

7.
Many people love and visit different kinds of theatres:…

8.
In the UK, there are more than …

9.
In the USA, the best-known theatre centre is …

10.
In Russia, the two major theatre centers are …

11.
Music plays a major role in …

12.
Opera combines singing and …

13.
Ballet needs music …

14.
Film and TV dramas use music to help …

15.
Music provides people with a way …

EXERCISE
17: Answer
the questions about the theatre:

1)
What does the word «theatre» come from?

2)
What does theatre include?

3)
Is theatre the same as drama?

4)
What does drama refer to?

5)
What forms of drama do you know?

6)
What does theatre require?

7)
Who integrates all aspects of productions in the theatre?

What kinds of theatres do you know?

9)
Where is the theatrical centre in the UK?

10)
How many theatres are there in West End of London?

11)
Where are the theatre centers in the USA?

12)
What theatre centers in Russia do you know?

13)
Have you ever been to Bolshoi Theatre?

14)
Do you often visit theatres?

15)
What kind of theatre do you prefer?

16)
What kind of music do you like?

17)
What kind of classical music do you know?

18)
What kind of popular music do you know?

19)
Why does music play a major role in other arts?

20)
What does music provide people with?

EXERCISE
18. Agree
or disagree with the following statements; add some more-information:

1.
Theatre is the same as drama. 2. Theatre is one of the most com­plex
arts. 3. There are different kinds of theatres. 4. There are not many
theatres in West End of London. 5. There are many theatres in Moscow.

EXERCISE
19.
a)
Read and translate the following dialogue; b) mem­orize and
dramatize the dialogue; c) act out a similar dialogue.

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1.The word «theatre» comes from a Greek word meaning a place for seeing.
2.Theatre includes everything that is involved in production, such as the script, the stage, the performing company, and the audience.
3.Theatre is not the same as drama, though the words are frequently used interchangeably.
4.Drama refers to the literary part of a performance that is the play.
5 There are different forms of drama, such as tragedy, serious drama, melodrama, and comedy.
6.Theatre requires many kinds of artists for its creation.
7.These specialists include a playwright, performers, a director, a scene designer, a costumier, a lighting designer, and various technicians.

For many productions composers, musicians, and a choreographer (a creator of dances) are needed. A director of the theatre integrates all aspects of production including scenery, costumes, makeup, lighting, sound effects, music, and dancing.There are many people who love and visit different kinds of theatres: drama theatres, musical theatres, puppet theatres, opera and ballet houses. A successful theatrical event is an exciting and stimulating experience.There are a lot of theatres around the world. The theatrical centre the United Kingdom is London. There are more than 40 theatres in West End of London, such as the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which operate a repertory system and use a regular company. The best-known centre of professional theatre in the United State is New York City, though Chicago and Los Angeles have become major centers as well. Moscow and St. Petersburg are the two major theatre centers in Russia. The Maly and Bolshoi Theatre are known all over the world.

Презентация на тему: » The word theater comes from the Greek word theatron, meaning «seeing place.» В презентации использованы материалы электронной энциклопедии Microsoft Encarta.» — Транскрипт:

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theatre, also spelled theater, in architecture, a building or space in which a performance may be given before an audience. The word is from the Greek theatron, “a place of seeing.” A theatre usually has a stage area where the performance itself takes place. Since ancient times the evolving design of theatres has been determined largely by the spectators’ physical requirements for seeing and hearing the performers and by the changing nature of the activity presented.

Origins of theatre space

The civilizations of the Mediterranean basin in general, the Far East, northern Europe, and the Western Hemisphere before the voyages of Christopher Columbus in the second half of the 15th century have all left evidence of constructions whose association with religious ritual activity relates them to the theatre. Studies in anthropology suggest that their forerunners were the campfire circles around which members of a primitive community would gather to participate in tribal rites. Karnak in ancient Egypt, Persepolis in Persia, and Knossos in Crete all offer examples of architectural structures, purposely ceremonial in design, of a size and configuration suitable for large audiences. They were used as places of assembly at which a priestly caste would attempt to communicate with supernatural forces.

The transition from ritual involving mass participation to something approaching drama, in which a clear distinction is made between active participants and passive onlookers, is incompletely understood. Eventually, however, the priestly caste and the performer became physically set apart from the spectators. Thus, theatre as place emerged.

Developments in ancient Greece

Visual and spatial aspects

During the earliest period of theatre in ancient Greece, when the poet Thespis—who is credited both with inventing tragedy and with being the first actor—came to Athens in 534 bce with his troupe on wagons, the performances were given in the agora (i.e., the marketplace), with wooden stands for audience seating; in 498, the stands collapsed and killed several spectators. Detailed literary accounts of theatre and scenery in ancient Greece can be found in De architectura libri decem, by the 1st-century-bce Roman writer Vitruvius, and in the Onomasticon, of the 2nd century ce, by the Greek scholar Julius Pollux. As these treatises appeared several hundred years after classical theatre, however, the accuracy of their descriptions is questionable.

Little survives of the theatres in which the earliest plays were performed, but essential details have been reconstructed from the architectural evidence of the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, which has been remodeled several times since its construction in stone by the politician Lycurgus on the south slope of the Acropolis about 330 bce. The centre of the theatre was the original dancing place, a flat circular space containing the altar of Dionysus, called the orchestra. In the centre stood a platform with steps (bemata) leading to the altar (thymele). Nearby was the temple out of which the holy image would be carried on festival days so that the god could be present at the plays.

Theatrical representations, not yet wholly free of a religious element, directed their appeal toward the whole community, and attendance was virtually compulsory. Thus the first concern of theatre builders of the day was to provide sufficient space for large audiences. In the beginning, admission was free; later, when a charge was levied, poor citizens were given entrance money. It seems reasonable to assume, from the size of the theatres, that the actors performed on a raised platform (probably called the logeion, or “speaking place”) in order to be more visible and audible, while the chorus remained in the orchestra. In later times there was a high stage, with a marble frieze below and a short flight of steps up from the orchestra. The great Hellenistic theatre at Epidaurus had what is believed to have been a high, two-level stagehouse.

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The earliest productions did not have a background building. The actors dressed in the skēnē (from which the word “scene” is derived), which was then a small tent, and the chorus and actors entered together from the main approach, the parodos. The earliest properties, such as altars and rocks, could be set up at the edge of the terrace. The first extant drama for which a large building was necessary was Aeschylus’ trilogy the Oresteia, first produced in 458 bce. There has been controversy among historians as to whether the skēnē was set up inside a segment of the orchestra or outside the edge of the orchestra. The skēnē in its later development was probably a long, simple building at the left of the orchestra terrace.

In the first period of Greek drama, the principal element of the production was the chorus, the size of which appears to have varied considerably. In Aeschylus’ Suppliants, there were 50 members of the chorus, but in his other plays there were only 12, and Sophocles called for 15. The size of the chorus became smaller in the 5th century, as the ritual element of drama diminished. Since the number of actors increased as the chorus shrank, and the plots of the dramas became more complex, doubling of roles became necessary. On a completely open stage such substitutions were delayed, and the suspense of the drama was dissipated. Dramatic plausibility was also vitiated by the fact that gods and mortals, enemies and friends, always entered from the same direction. The addition of a scenic facade, with three doors, more than doubled the number of entrances and gave the playwright more freedom to develop dramatic tension. About 425 bce a firm stone basis was laid for an elaborate building, called a stoa, consisting of a long front wall interrupted at the sides by projecting wings, or paraskēnia. The spectators sat on wooden benches arranged in a fan shape divided by radiating aisles. The upper rows were benches of movable planks supported by separate stones planted in the ground. The seats of honour were stone slabs with inscriptions assigning them to the priests.

The background decoration consisted originally of a temporary wooden framework leaning against the front wall of the stoa and covered with movable screens. These screens were made of dried animal skins tinted red; it was not until Aeschylus that canvases in wooden frames were decorated according to the needs of a particular play. Aristotle credits Sophocles with the invention of scene painting, an innovation ascribed by others to Aeschylus. It is notable that Aeschylus took an interest in staging and is credited with the classic costume design. Simple Greek scenery was comparable with that of the 20th century; the impulse to visualize and particularize the background of the action became strong. Painted scenery was probably first used in production of the Oresteia; some 50 years afterward a second story was added to the wooden scene structure. A wooden colonnade, or portico, the proskēnion, was placed in front of the lower story of the building. This colonnade, which was long and low, suggested the exterior of either a house, a palace, or a temple. Painted screens set between the columns of the proskēnion suggested the locale.

In the beginning, scenery was probably altered slightly during the intermissions that separated the plays of a trilogy or a tetralogy or during the night between two festival days. By the latter part of the 5th century, scene changes were accomplished by means of movable painted screens. Several of these screens could be put up behind one another so that, when the first one was removed, the one immediately behind appeared.

Soon after the introduction of the facade, plays were uniformly set before a temple or a palace. To indicate a change of scene, the periaktoi were introduced. These were upright three-sided prisms—each side painted to represent a different locality—set flush with the palace or temple wall on either side of the stage. Several conventions were observed with regard to scenery; one was that if only the right periaktos was turned, it indicated a different locality in the same town. According to another convention, actors entering from the right were understood to be coming from the city or harbour and those from the left to be coming from the country.

The permanent facade was also used to hide the stage properties and the machinery. Evidence for the use of the so-called flying machine, the mēchanē (Latin machina), in the 5th century is given in the comedies of Aristophanes; a character in his play Peace ascends to heaven on a dung beetle and appeals to the scene shifter not to let him fall. The mēchanē consisted of a derrick and a crane. In the time of Euripides it was used conventionally for the epilogue, at which point a god descended from heaven to sort out the complications in the plot, a convention that became known as deus ex machina (“god from a machine”). The lavish use of flying machines is attested by the poet Antiphanes, who wrote that tragic playwrights lifted up a machine as readily as they lifted a finger when they had nothing else to say.

A wheeled platform or wagon, called ekkyklēma, was used to display the results of offstage actions, such as the bodies of murder victims. The ekkyklēma, like the periaktoi, was an expedient for open-air theatre, in which the possibilities for creating realistic illusions were severely limited. A realistic picture of an interior scene under a roof could not be shown, because the roof would block the view of those in the higher tiered seats of the auditorium. So the Greeks, to represent the interior of a palace, for example, wheeled out a throne on a round or square podium. New machines were added in the Hellenistic period, by which time the theatre had almost completely lost its religious basis. Among these new machines was the hemikyklion, a semicircle of canvas depicting a distant city, and a stropheion, a revolving machine, used to show heroes in heaven or battles at sea.

Howard Bay Clive Barker George C. Izenour