Topical Vocabulary

to book tickets beforehand	купить билеты заранее
stalls	партер
dress circle	бельэтаж
upper circle	балкон
boxes	ложа
stage	сцена
play	пьеса
playwright	драматург
extra ticket	лишний билет
usher	билетер
cast	состав актеров, список исполнителей
performance	представление

I. Answer the questions:

1. Do you like to go to the theatre?

2. Where can you buy tickets?

3. Where are the best seats at the theatre?

4. What kinds of performances are on at the theatre?

5. What was the last performance you enjoyed?

6. Was the house full?

7. What were you impressed by?

8. Was the performance a success?

9. Many people believe that it is much more convenient to watch a performance on TV than to go to the theatre. You don't have to bother about the ticket, a baby-sitter, transport, etc. What would you say?

II. Speak about

1. Theatres in your city or town.

2. Your impressions after a visit to the theatre.

III. Use the Past Indefinite or the Past Continuous to complete the story. An Evening at the Theatre

Last week I (to go) to the theatre and (to see) a play called “King Lear”. When I (to go) to my seat before the play (to begin), the orchestra (to play). Everybody (to talk) except a lady on my right. She (to eat) sweets. On the left a gentleman (to read) his programme to his friend. A girl (to sell) programmes and another (to sell) chocolates.

When the play (to begin) everybody had to be quiet. We all (to listen) to the actors. I (to look) at the lady in front of me. She (to cry). She (to hold) her handkerchief to her eyes. The gentleman on my left (to blow) his nose because men don’t like to cry. But the lady on my right (still to eat) her sweets.

III. Here is some basic information about going out in Britain. It will be useful to you if you visit the country. If you don’t, you may find it interesting to compare British laws and habits with those in your country.

Going out

Pubs

You can’t drink tea or coffee in a pub: they don’t serve it. They mostly serve beer, cider and spirits. Many pubs also serve food at the bar.

You have to be 18 to drink alcohol in a pub, but if you are over 14, you can usually go into a pub and have a soft drink like orange juice or Coca-Cola.

A lot of pubs have games: traditional games like darts and dominoes or electronic games like space invaders (pinball machines are not common in pubs).

The cinema

There are four categories of films: U, A, AA and X. Anyone can go to a U film; children can go to them alone. An A film is almost the same, but the “A” means that an adult must go to the film with children under 14. To see an AA, you have to be at least 14, and go to an X film you have to be 18 years or over.

It used to be possible to smoke anywhere in British cinemas. Now a lot of them have smoking and non-smoking sections.

The theatre

There are good theatres all over the country. Some of them offer “stand-by” tickets to students if they have any seats left on the day of the performance. They sell them to students at a cheaper price. Most theatres have matinee performances in the afternoon or early evening once or twice a week. Matinees are sometimes cheaper than evening performances.

Discotheques

The age limit to go into discos depends on their license. If they’re licensed to serve alcohol, the age limit is, in theory, 18. You don’t have to identify to get in. Otherwise, there is no legal age limit.

You always pay at the entrance. Prices vary according to the type of place you go to. You also pay for your drinks but drinking is not compulsory. Some discotheques sell food like hamburgers or sausages and chips. People usually dance to records but some big discos have live groups.