5) Describing a performance.

We went to see a new production of Hamlet last night. The sets were incredibly realistic and the costumes were wonderful. It was a good cast and I thought the direction was excellent. Anthony O'Donnell gave a marvelous performance. It got rave review in the papers today.

Ex.3 Fill in the blanks with the necessary words in brackets:

1. If you are fond of music you must go to the … . (cloak-room, Opera-House, box-office). 2. We bought in advance two … for a matinee performance. (opera-glasses, theatre-programmes, tickets) 3. The musicians in the orchestra were tuning their … . (instruments, composers, conductors) 4. The … are over at about eleven o`clock. (roles, tickets, performances) 5. When … fell the house burst into applause. (theatre, curtain, balcony)

Ex.4

1. read and translate the text.

At the theatre

I `ll never forget my first visit to the theatre. My friend bought in advance two tickets for a matinee performance of the ballet “Swan Lake” by Tchaikovsky. We arrived at the theatre long before the performance began. A notice on the box-office of the theatre said: “Sold out”. We left our coats in the cloak-room and I got a programme from the usher to see what the cast was. When we arrived at the hall we saw many people walking down the gangway looking for their seats. The musicians in the orchestra were tuning their instruments. We found our seats, which were in the stalls. At twelve sharp the lights went out. The conductor appeared and the overture began. After the overture the curtain went up. I was deeply impressed by everything I saw on the stage. The setting and the dancing were superb. When the curtain fell the house burst into applause. During the first interval we went to the refreshment room. When the last curtain fell the dancers received call after call and were presented with large bouquets of flowers.

2. find in the text equivalents for the following words and word-combinations:

завчасно, прибувати в театр, повідомлення на касі, «Продано», білетер, настроювати інструменти, рівно о дванадцять, диригент, декорації та костюми, антракт, буфет, великі букети квітів.

Ex. 5 What word or phrase is being defined?

1. Journalists who write articles about plays.

2. The name of the articles they write.

3. To reserve tickets before the performance.

4. The total number of actors in a play.

5. The people who watch a play at the theatre.

6. What these people do with their hands at the end of a play.

reviews, the audience, critics, to book, the cast, applause

Ex 6. Read and translate the text.

Theatre in the uk West End Shows

For many people the highlight of a visit to London is the chance to see a West End show. The West End of London, situated a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown, is home to dozens of beautiful theatres. London’s West End theatres are currently enjoying a boom in popularity and ticket sales. According to the Society of London Theatres, nearly 12 million people attended a West End show last year, whilst audience numbers in 2005 look set to outstrip that impressive figure. One possible reason for the success of contemporary theatrical productions is the casting of A-list Hollywood actors in lead roles. Val Kilmer, star of films like Top Gun and Batman Forever, is currently appearing in The Postman Always Rings Twice.

And he is not alone - other American movie stars performing in London include Oscar winner, Kevin Spacey, and David Schwimmer, who found international fame in the hit TV sitcom, Friends.

British screen stars are also treading the boards in West End shows. Scottish actor, Ewan McGregor, is appearing in the classic 1950s musical Guys and Dolls – an experience very different to making movies. McGregor says ‘The actual process of making films is extraordinarily tedious. It is very difficult to keep your energy and focus. Whereas what is wonderful about this is we have to create it together.’ Ironically, it is not just that film stars are acting in plays nowadays but films themselves are being adapted for the stage. Amongst the films that can now be seen as plays or musicals are The Lion King, A Few Good Men, and Billy Elliot.

The longest-running shows in the West End are usually musicals. The Andrew Lloyd Webber show, Cats, ran for 21 years and 7000 performances, making its composer a multi-millionaire.

However, not all musicals do so well. Oscar Wilde: The Musical ran for only one night, closing after terrible reviews and poor bookings. It was quite possibly the biggest flop in London theatrical history.

Glossary

the highlight - a moment of vivid interest, an outstanding feature

a stone’s throw - very near

a boom - a period of prosperity or sudden activity

to outstrip - to be bigger than

casting - allocation of roles

A-list - most popular

lead roles - main characters in a play

sitcom - short for situational comedy

treading the boards - being an actor, appear on the stage

musical - a theatrical piece where music is an essential element

extraordinarily tedious – long and taking a lot of effort

ironically - in the nature of irony

plays - theatrical pieces

longest-running - that has been performed for the longest time

ran for - was on the stage

bookings – reservations of seats

flop - failure

Ex.7 Are these sentences true or false? Circle the correct answer.

1. London’s West End is located not very far from Chinatown. True / False

2. Ticket sales for West End shows have been very poor in recent years due to high prices. True / False

3. The actor, Ewan McGregor, feels that the process of shooting a film is actually very boring. True / False

4. Many successful West End shows are adapted for the big screen and made into movies. True / False

5. Some West End musical can have a run lasting decades. True / False

Ex.8 Look at the idioms below. Each one is connected to the theatre Match the idiom to its definition.

1. waiting in the wings 2. the show must go on 3. break a leg! 4. to upstage somebody

a. Good luck! (said to somebody who is about to perform or speak in public) b. to perform better than another person c. being ready and prepared to step into the action d. it’s necessary to continue despite problems or difficulties

Ex.9 Now complete the sentences below by using one of the idioms above.

1. ‘I have to go now and deliver my presentation to the board of managers.’

‘ __________ . I hope it all goes well.’

2. ‘We are having problems with our staff at the moment. Nearly half of them are off work with the flu.’

‘Well, I know it’s difficult but _________. We can’t just give up.’

3. My boss is very angry with me because I __________ him at the meeting. My ideas were much better received than his.

4. You should always do your best in your job because there are always

People _________ to take your job if you don’t do it well.

Ex.10 Try to find the words associated with the theatre in the puzzle below.

There are ten words to find. Words can be written horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Заняття 1.16 Відвідування кінотеатру

Ex.1 Match the names of the following genres of films and their definitions. Consult a dictionary if you need it.

1)Comedy	a) Film about spies, detectives
2)Musical	b) Film depicting historic events of the past on a grand scale
3) Tearjerker	c) Film made by photographing a series of drawings
4) Feature film	d) Film dealing with real events in history
5) Gangster film	e) Film of popular science events
6) Horror film	f) Film about war
7) Secret agent film	g) Cinema film of recent events
8) Tragedy	h) Film showing some aspect of human and social activity
9) Historical film	i) Film that makes one experience a sudden sharp feeling of excitement
10) Epic	j) Film consisting of musical numbers and dialogue that develop the plot of an underlying story
11) War film	k) Film that inspires horror and fear
12) Documentary	l) Women’s film that moves one to tears
13) Newsreel	m) Full length film in a cinema programme
14) Popular-science film	n) Film about criminals
15) Animated cartoon	o) Film of serious or solemn kind with a sad end

Ex. 2 Sort out the words given below into four groups under the right heading.

Impression of the film	Film Makers		Audience	Film Genre		Part of the performance
1.
1. banal		11. enjoyable			21. a trailer
2. first-rate actors		12. a cameraman			22. scary
3.a musical		13. violent			23. a whodunit
4. a thriller		14 a fairy-tale			24. a tearjerker
5. a producer		15. a film director			25. animated cartoons
6. a screen version		16. western			26. a flop
7. entertaining		17. adverts			27. cute
8. gory		18. a double			28. cinema/movie-goers
9. a comedy		19. a film star			29. documentary
10. a stuntman		20. slushy			30. funny

Ex.3 Do the tasks a, b in the following exercise.

New York: The most filmed city in the world

a) Before you read: What films have you seen that take place in New York?

b) Read the text and find the film titles that go with the pictures.

Even if you have never been to New York, you will probably have seen many of the famous sights in films or on TV. From Friends to King of Queens, from Men in Black to Madagascar, New York is the most filmed city in the world. The first movie that made New York famous in film was King Kong from 1933. Since then, thousands of films have been set in the city, and almost every different type: from science fiction films like I am Legend, to action films like Spider-Man and romantic comedies like Hitch.

The city has also been the home of many famous TV shows, like The Cosby Show, Heroes and CSI New York. Many of the famous talk shows, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, are also filmed in New York.

There are many reasons why New York is a good place to film. A lot of film makers think that the city is interesting and has got many different stories to tell because rich people, poor people and people from all over the world live in the city. Some say that the city is always beautiful, while others think that it is a good place for a film because so many people know or have visited New York.

Most of the famous sights have had roles in films, from King Kong climbing up the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty covered in snow and ice in The Day after Tomorrow. But because the city is always changing, films and TV shows have to change, too. After the attacks on September 11th 2001, many films and TV shows had to be changed so that the World Trade Center was not in them. The first Spider-Man movie, for example, was also changed because the final5 battle6 should have taken place there.

If you are going to New York and would like to see where your favourite film was made, there are many ways to do this. There is a map on the Internet that tells you what films were made and where they were shot. Or you can go on a tour of famous movie and TV sites and visit the flat in Friends or the fire station in Ghostbusters. And of course, there are many movies and TV shows being filmed in New York every day. So, who knows – you may end up in the next Hollywood blockbuster – just like New York itself!

Ex. 4 Fill in the blanks with the necessary words:

1. I like to see colour … (screen, script, film) 2. The people who go to see films regularly or often are called … (actor, cinema – goers, producers) 3. As usual, before the show of the film they give a (script, review, newsreel) 4. Today people like to stay at home to watch …, particularly when it is cold and wet outside. (television, screen, poster)

Ex.5

1. read and translate the text.

I don’t like going to the cinema very much myself, but my friends all love it, and so I often find myself sitting in the dark trying to follow the conversation on the screen while sweet papers and crisp packets are being opened all around me.

It is this sort of annoying disturbance at the cinema which makes me hire a video and watch it at home. Then there is no risk of getting cross because it`s impossible to hear anything what is going on.

Another problem is that I always do my best to find a seat with a good view of the screen during the advertisements. Then, two minutes before the main film is due to begin, the seat in front of me will be taken by a heavyweight boxer who blocks out most of the screen and by this time, it`s too late to move.

I know this isn’t really the point. Cinema fans talk about the extra pleasure when their impressions and feelings are shared with others. I must admit there`s often a very good atmosphere in the cinema, and I`m probably too sensitive to these things: it only takes up one person making stupid comments to spoil the whole occasion. On balance, I think I`ll stick to my video!

2. find in the text equivalents for the following words and word-combinations:

стежити за розмовою, хрусткі пакети, надокучливе порушення, взяти на прокат, роздратований, боксер важковаговик, загороджувати, суть справи, враження, ділити, визнавати, стосуватися, псувати цілу подію, прилипати.

Ex. 6 Arrange the following sentences about the beginning of cinema in logical order.

	Then in 1895 a machine that projected pictures on to a screen was invented by two French brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumiere.
	The Lumiere brothers gave the world`s first public film show in 1896.
	They called their machine a cinematographe.
	An American, Thomas Edison, made the first machine with moving pictures in 1891.
	The pictures in this machine were shown one after the other very quickly.
	Hollywood became important in the film making industry.
	It was called a kinetoscope.
	By the 1902 film makers began to write stories for films and use actors.

Ex.7 Read the text bellow and answer the questions:

In Scream 4, Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill and her Aunt Kate. Unfortunately Sidney's appearance also brings about the return of Ghost face, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger.

1. What kind of movie is it?

2. Do you like this kind of movie? Why? Why not?

3. Who are the principal characters showed in the text? Can you describe then?

E x.8 Read the comments about this movie and answer the questions:

Bob

Jane

Carol

1. Does Bob like this movie?

2. What makes this movie fun according to Jane? Do you agree with her? Why? Why not?

3. Is carol a big fan of “the scream 4”?

Ex.9 Read and complete the synopses of movie «Final Destination» with the words in the box: