Яков Аракин - Практический курс английского языка 2 курс

kind of music is popular in England? 8. Are there any amateur theatres in Great Britain? 9. What

leading actors of the British theatre do you know? 10. How are the British Arts Councils going to

celebrate approach of the millennium?

B.1. How is the Russian theatre organized? 2. What Russian theatres are best known in

Russia and abroad? 3. Is attendance at our theatres high? 4. How many times a month (a year) do

you go to the theatre? 5. Are there any amateur theatres in Russia?

II. Try your band at teaching:

A.Preparation, a) Find picture representing a theatre-house, b) Study the footnotes on p. 327

describing a theatre-house and its parts, c) Write questions to provoke answers containing all the new

words.

B.Work in class. Ask your questions, listen to the an- -swers and correct the student's

mistakes.

III. Learn Text В by heart. Act out this dialogue.

IV. Retell Text С in your own words.

Speak on your favourite genre (opera, drama, ballet, comedy, musical, etc). Why do you

like it?

V. Translate the following into English:

Когда мы пришли, зал был уже полон. Через несколько минут занавес поднялся, и все

взгляды устремились на сцену. Декорации были очень простые, выдержанные в черных,

белых и серых тонах. На этом фоне яркие костюмы действующих лиц выглядели очень

эффектно.

Состав исполнителей был неплохой, а игра актера, исполнявшего главную роль, была

просто великолепна. Когда он был на сцене, внимание всего зрительного зала было

сосредоточено на нем и его игре. Во время знаменитой сцены из третьего акта в зале стояла

мертвая тишина. Зрители были потрясены. Многие плакали. К тому же, эта сцена была удачно

освещена. Режиссер удачно использовал освещение, чтобы усилить впечатление от игры

актера.

Когда после заключительной сцены занавес опустился, наступила долгая пауза, а потом

поднялась настоящая буря аплодисментов.

VI. Read the following and either agree or disagree with the statements. (See

the Reminder.):

1. The house is the part of the theatre where the members of the orchestra usually sit. 2. An

auditorium is a building or a part of a building in which the audience sit. 3. The audience include

both spectators and actors. 4. When the audience is pleased it keeps silent. 5. We say "the house is

full" when not all the seats in the auditorium are occupied. 6. The pit is nearer to the stage than the

stalls. 7. You prefer seats in the gallery, don't you? 8. Wings are the sides of a stage with the scenery.

9. You wouldn't like to go behind the stage, I believe. 10. The cheapest seats are in the boxes. 11.

The most expensive seats are in the orchestra stalls. 12. Students always buy seats in the orchestra

stalls. 13. By the cast of the play we mean all the actors belonging to the theatrical company. 14, The

role of the producer is not very important. 15. You don't know who Stanislavsky was, I believe. 16. It

doesn't take many people to produce a play. 17. I believe you clap to show your appreciation of the

acting or the play as a whole.

Reminder. Beyond all doubt. I should think so. I won't deny it Most likely. I disagree with

you. On the contrary. You are wrong. Just the other way round. Not me! By no means.

VII. a) Describe your impressions of a play (opera, ballet) you have seen.

Follow the plan below:

1. Going to the theatre. (How did you get the tickets? Where were your seats? Was the house

full?)

2. The play. (Was it interesting? What was interesting? What didn't you like about it?)

3. The acting. (Was the cast good? Whose acting impressed the audience? In what scenes?)

4. The production. (Did the production help the audience to catch the main idea of the play?

In what points of the production did you feel the work of the producer? Did the general spirit of the

production satisfy the demand of the play?)

5. Designing. (Did you like the scenery? How were the light and sound effects used?)

6. The audience. (What kind of people did it consist of? How did they receive the

performance?)

R e m i n d e r: if is surprising to meet a play about ordinary people caught up in ordinary

events, the author shows a remarkable talent for writing dialogue which is entertaining and witty,

the characters are pleasant (humorous, ordinary); one brief scene forms the climax of the play, the

characters act out a fantasy, the audience is made to think: until almost the final curtain; splendid

direction; it was one of the finest renderings of this part I've ever heard; I hear the scenery was

planned and designed by ...; his musical talent is quite exceptional, his playing sometimes reminds

me of...; the highlight of the evening was ...

b) Make up dialogues discussing the points above.

VIII. a) Supply articles where necessary:

Chekhov's play "... Sea-gull" was first staged in ... Alexan-drinsky Theatre in... Petersburg. It

was ... complete failure.... play was ruined by ... dull and ... clumsy production. It was staged in ...

"good old traditions" whereas ... Chekhov's plays were quite unlike any other plays written before

and demanded ... new forms and devices.... Petersburg audience did not understand "... Sea-gull."

There was ... laughter in most poetical scenes and many of... audience left long before ... end of ...

play. It was ... cruel blow to Chekhov. However, in... Moscow Art Theatre, which was not ... year old

then (it was in 1898), ... same play directed by K. S. Stanislavsky was ... tremendous success....

Stanislavsky's production of "... Sea-gull" opened ... new epoch in ... history of ... theatre and

symbolized... triumph of... new and ... progressive forms over ... old ones.

In ... memory of that event... white sea-gull spreads its wings on ... curtain of ... Moscow Art

Theatre.

b) Answer the following questions:

1. When and where was Chekhov's "Sea-gull" first staged? 2. Why did it fail? 3. Why was it

that the same play was a tremendous success in the Art Theatre? 4. Why did the Art Theatre choose

the sea-gull for its emblem?

IX. a) Give a free translation of the following passage. Make use of the English

phrases given at the end:

Обстоятельства, при которых ставилась «Чайка», были сложны и тяжелы. Дело в том,

что Антон Павлович Чехов серьезно заболел. У него произошло осложнение туберкулезного

процесса. При этом душевное состояние его было таково, что он не перенес бы вторичного

провала «Чайки», подобного тому, какой произошел при первой ее постановке в Петербурге.

Неуспех спектакля мог оказаться гибельным для самого писателя. Об этом нас предупреждала

его до слез взволнованная сестра Мария Павловна, умолявшая нас об отмене спектакля.

Между тем, он был нам до зарезу необходим, так как материальные дела театра шли плохо и

для поднятия сборов требовалась новая постановка. Предоставляю читателю судить о том

состоянии, с которым мы, артисты, выходили играть пьесу на премьере, собравшей далеко не

полный зал. Стоя на сцене, мы прислушивались к внутреннему голосу, который шептал нам:

«Играйте хорошо, великолепно, добейтесь успеха, триумфа. А если вы его не добьетесь, то

знайте, что по получении телеграммы любимый вами писатель умрет, казненный вашими

руками. Вы станете его палачами».

Как мы играли — не помню. Первый акт кончился при гробовом молчании

зрительного зала. Одна из артисток упала в обморок, я сам едва держался на ногах от

отчаяния. Но вдруг, после долгой паузы, в публике поднялся рёв, треск, бешеные

аплодисменты. Занавес пошел ... раздвинулся ... опять задвинулся, а мы стояли, как

обалделые. Потом снова рев ... и снова занавес ... Мы все стояли неподвижно, не соображая,

что нам надо раскланиваться. Наконец, мы почувствовали успех и, неимоверно

взволнованные, стали обнимать друг друга. М. А. Лялиной, которая играла Машу и своими

заключительными словами пробила лед в сердцах зрителей, мы устроили овацию. Успех рос с

каждым актом и окончился триумфом. Чехову была послана подробная телеграмма.

(Станиславский К. С. Моя жизнь в искусстве)

Use the following:

the circumstances ... were complicated and painful, his deep depression, he might have not

survived another failure, implored us to cancel the performance, we badly needed it, to raise the box

office returns, the inner voice, murdered by your own hands, the first act concluded amid death-like

silence, to faint, I was on my last legs, there was an uproar, a crash, a storm of applause, the curtain

went up ... then down again, we were standing stunned, we were supposed to take the curtain-calls,

melted the ice, to cheer, each act heightened the success.

b) What can you say about the significance of the event described above for

the history of Russian and world theatre?

X. a) Read Sir Laurence Olivier's answers given by him in a newspaper

interview: