Confessions of a would-be actor

Fill in the defined words.

THEATRE.

1 _ _T

2 _ _ H_ _ _ _ _ _

3 _ _ _ _ E _ _ _

4 _ _ _ _ A_ _ _

5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _T

6 _ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ _

7 _ _ _ E _

1. part of a play (3)

2. practising a play (9)

3. people watching a play (8)

4. handclapping after the play (8)

5. author of plays (10)

6. the showing of the play (11)

7. person who shows people to their seats in a theatre (5)

& 11. Read the text trying to absorb the language of the theatre and stage contained in the text.

After playing Joseph in a nativity play at the age of five and a half, -

I can still remember the three lines I had – my theatrical career really took off. I was chosen to be the back end of the pantomime horse in our shool end-of-term Chrismas show. Success there, or rather lack of it – the horse's seams came apart soon after our first entrance – led to my being given the job of stagehand for all future productions. Even scenery falling over in the middle of an Italian light opera and last-minute panic over themissing set for an ancient Greek tragedy failed to persuade our drama teacher that I would be less of a risk on stage than off. (That, in fact, is not strictly true. I did have a walk-on part once in a French bedroom farce – as an apparently dumb police constable – but to everyone's horror I tried to exit with the wrong character at the end of the wrong scene, stage left instead of stage right.)

On leaving school, I joined an amateur dramatic society, full of enthusiasm but rather short on experience, technique and timing. For some years, I was restricted to bit parts in sketches, satirical revues and one or two slapstick comedies. My finest hour came when I had to stand in for a member of the cast who had been taken ill – I was the general male understudy – and take the part of the villain in a Victorian melodrama; lost of overacting and asides to the audience. I had only a very short rehearsal beforehand and I thought my performance was reasonably competent. The producer, however, suggested that I took up some less public hobby, like pottery or rug-making.

Not deterred, I joined a repertory company as stage and costumes manager, also responsible for props and make-up. And I was their prompter as well. During my time with them I wrote a number of scripts, most of wich were rejected, but one of which was accepted and performed. It turned out to be the most terrible flop. I didn't do much acting there – just one part, if I remember rightly, in the chorus of a musical, a revival of West Side Story. Nobody 'discovered' me. What I had aways wanted was to play the hero in something like Romeo and Juliet or to have a leading part in an Oscar Wilde comedy of manners. When I turned fifty, however, I began to accept that it was probably not going to happen.

You can imagine my surprise and delight, then, when some nights ago I learned that I had landed the title role in Shakespeare's classic play Macbeth with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I couldn't believe my luck. Macbeth: that superb monologue before Duncan's murder, the passages with the witches on the heath, that fantastic Tomorrow and tomorrow speech in Act Five, Scene 5. The dress rehearsal, with co-stars Olivier and Glenda Jackson, was a dream. And with the first night to follow – ten curtain calls – bouquets – reviews the next day: "Smash hit!" "Don't miss it!" " A box office winner!" "Triumph for new Macbeth!" "A Star is …"

And then that horrible ringing sound in my ears…

? 1. Match the words into collocations

	would-be	a	play
	title	b	hit
	satirical	c	teacher
	repertory	d	comedy
	nativity	e	winner
	light	f	company
	dress	g	manager
	smash	h	opera
	slapstick	i	parts
	first	j	rehearsal
	bit	k	revue
	box-office	l	role
	drama	m	night
	stage	o	actor

? 2. Choose a word/word phrase from the box to match one of the definitions below.

pantomime costarlinescomedy of mannersfirst nightcostumes managerwalk-on partmake upproduction amateur dramatic societyvillain understudy stagehand castsetfarce timing

1) a play, novel, or film that gives a satirical portrayal of behaviour in a particular social group;

2) the scenery, furniture etc put on a stage to represent the place and time of action;

3) someone who works on a theatre stage, getting it ready for a play or for the next part of a play;

4) the main bad character in a film, play, or story;

5) someone who is responsible in a theatre for actors’ stage clothes, accessories, etc;

6) all the people who act in a play or film;

7) the words of a particular role;

8) a kind of non-professional school where people acquire basic stage skills and knowledge and apply them in practice;

9) the evening when the first public performance of a show, play etc is given;

10) a play, film, broadcast etc that is produced for the public, or the process of producing it:

11) a person who learns the role of an actor/actress to be able to act at short notice in their absence;

12) the skill of doing something at exactly the right time;

13) cosmetics such as lipstick or powder applied to the face, used to enhance or alter the appearance;

14) a leading actor or actress appearing in a movie or on stage with another or others of equal importance;

15) a humorous play or film in which the characters are involved in complicated and silly situations;

16) a method of performing using only actions and not words, or a play performed using this method;

17) a part in a play or film which very small and usually does not involve any speaking.

? 3. Complete the sentences with the words from the previous exercise. Change the word forms if necessary.

1) The ____of the Titanic film is still much admired by the audience.

2) Linda wad limited all her life to __________.

3) As the leading actor was badly ill, his main_______was forced to perform all his parts most of the season.

4) The success of the actors was to a considerable extent due to the superb work of our ______.

5) He told jokes with an exquisite sense of ________.

6) Being extremely jittery at the _______she could hardly utter a word.

7) The new Shakespeare ___________at the Arts Theatre was a huge success with the audience.

8) The _____being not ready, the performance was put off till early April.

9) His acting in a recent Italian _____was universally lauded by critics.

10) The first steps in my theatrical career where those in a local _________.

11) In Mr. & Mrs. Smith Brad Pitt was a perfect match as Angelina Jolie’s ______.

12) Brown is sick and tired of playing the parts of ________.

13) Nowadays ________enables actors to play characters of almost any age.

14) Chaplin feared that the art of __________was under threat.

15) Julia always learns the ______till she is word-perfect.

16) In England, _______ is represented by the plays of George Etherege and William Congreve.

? 4. Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian making use of the topical vocabulary:

1. Я приєднався до театру із постійною трупою і сезонним репертуаром, щоб працювати помічником режисера і костюмером.

2. Моя театральна кар’єра почалася із різдвяної п’єси.

3. Після закінчення школи я вступив до аматорського драматичного гуртка.

4. В мене було багато ентузіазму, але бракувало досвіду, вмінь та відчуття часу.

5. Я грав головну роль у комедії звичаїв О. Уайлда, але ніхто мене і не «відкрив» як актора.

6. Я також відповідав за реквізит та грим.

7. Мене обрали грати задню частину коня у нашій шкільній пантомімі, але кінь розійшовся по швах після нашого першого виходу.

8. Мені дали роботу працівника сцени на всі майбутні вистави.

9. Роками мене тримали у межах маленьких ролей, скетчах, сатиричних ревю та дешевих комедіях.

10. В мене була роль статиста у французькому фарсі, де я вийшов на сцену з іншим персонажем у кінці іншої сцени із-за лівої куліси замість правої.

11. Я підміняв одного члена трупи, який захворів, та грав злодія у вікторіанській мелодрамі.

12. Я перегравав, в мене було багато реплік в зал, та я думав, що моя гра була на рівні.

13. Сценарій, який я написав, нарешті було прийнято та після коротких репетицій поставлено, але це був найжахливіший провал, хоча я сам там і не мав великої ролі.

14. Нарешті я добився ролі героя у класичній п’єсі Шекспіра і не міг повірити своїй вдачі.

15. Я був у захваті від генеральної репетиції із зірками, які грали разом зі мною, від прем’єри, від 10 викликів на сцену, і наступного дня критики назвали п’єсу хітом сезону.

? 5. Discuss with your partner your experience of playing any part in school/university productions or performances. Make use of the topical vocabulary.

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