2. Films and performances

1. Read the text, translate the collocations in bold and retell the text using new expressions.

I've never had any desire to go on the stage myself but I’d love to produce a film. I think historical dramas work particularly well on the big screen and I’d love to make a film about Vikings in Britain. There'd be plenty of opportunities to use special effects during battle scenes. I’d want the male lead to be played by Hugh Grant, while Nicole Kidman could have the female lead. Sean Penn could play the role of a Viking warrior and I’d like Judi Dench to take on a cameo role. I’m sure that, as always, she would give an excellent performance. My dream is to make a film that would be nominated for an Oscar. Of course, I’d also like it to be an immediate box-office hit, playing to full houses worldwide.

Other strong collocations are cast a film [select the actors for a film], star in a film, shoot a film, make a film.

An actor’s career

Portia Cole had always dreamt of having her name in lights¹. At school she was a leading light² of the drama club, and she spent all her free time treading the boards³. Portia’s tendency to play to the gallery⁴ meant she was quickly noticed when she started acting professionally. When she got the opportunity to take over the leading role in a popular new crowd-puller⁵ in a major London theatre, she was waiting in the wings⁶, ready and eager to take centre stage⁷. She was surprised to feel very nervous before her opening night. However, all her friends and relatives assured her that it would be all right on the night⁸, and it was! The audience and the critics loved her, and her career was well and truly launched.

1. being famous

2. an important member

3. acting on stage (in the theatre)

4. behave in a way to make people admire or support her

5. smth attracting a lot of attention and interest

6. ready to become important

7. become the most important person in the play

8. without problems on the day of the actual performance

2. Fill in with the words in brackets.

1 A film's …. tells the actors how to play their parts while the ………deals with the financial side of the film, (producer, director).

2. When a book is made into a film, the original work by the ……is transformed into a script by the (author, screenwriter)

3. She was the first person to appear in the opening….. so she felt quite nervous as she stepped onto the …. (scene, stage).

4. In the variety show, a comedian told a few …. followed by a magician who performed some great magic ….. (tricks, jokes).

5. Hundreds of watched the circus parade through the streets in the morning, and as a result there was a huge …. at the show in the evening, (audience, spectators).

6. At the circus we laughed at …. the with their silly clothes and make-up and gasped in amazement as the……..performed on the flying trapeze, (acrobats, clowns).

7. The museum's is the person who is in charge of the place whereas the …looks after the building, (curator, caretaker).

8. At the concert the led the couple to their seats. Moments later the …appeared on his podium and the choir began to sing, (usher/conductor)

9 .Yesterday morning we went to the zoo where we saw the animals in their and the fish in the (aquarium/cages).

10. The played some soft music while the …were backstage getting ready for the play, (orchestra, cast).