17. Answer the following questions taking into account the information given in the text:

1. Where does the British comedy originate from?

2. Why is the name of Nicholas Udall significant in the history of the British theatre? What works is he famous for? Why?

3. How do the early British comedies differ from the Greek ones?

4. What is commedia dell` arte? Define the genre.

5. Who are Bedlam Beggars, Abraham Men, or Poor Toms? What`s the origin of the idioms?

18. Work in mini-groups. Write down the key words and share your list with other groups. Render the text with the help of the list of keywords you have got.

19. You are going to read the text on British theatre. Before reading comment on the following:

• Laurence Olivier

• John Gielgud

• the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

• The Royal National Theatre

• The Royal Shakespeare Company

• Barbican Centre

• Thomas Stearns Eliot

• The National Youth Theatre in London

20. Nine sentences (or parts of sentences) have been removed from Text 11. Choose among the sentences a – j the one which fits each gap (1 – 9). There is one extra sentence. Check yourself.

A. The tickets are not hard to get but they are very expensive

B. The theatre-goers warmly received the production of Thomas Stearns Eliot’s play “Murder in the Cathedral”

C. Its centre is, of course, London, where successful plays can sometimes run without a break for many years

D. …well-known television actors, though they might make the most of their money in this latter medium, continues to see themselves as first and foremost theatre actors

E. …a safe opportunity to look behind the mask of accepted social behaviour

F. For example, every town in the country has at least one ‘amateur dramatics’ society, which regularly gives performances and charges no more than enough to cover its costs

G.Broadway, when looking for its next blockbuster musical, pays close attention to London productions

H. There many theatres and theatre companies for young people: the National Youth Theatre and the Young Vic Company in London, the Scottish Youth Theatre in Edinburgh

I. David Garrick and some other actors` acting became naturalistic.

Text11. British theatre today

Interest in the arts in Britain used to be largely confined to small elite. Nowadays far more people read books, visit art galleries. Go to the theatre and attend concerts.

The theatre has always been very strong in Britain. (1) ____________. As they say: “They ran and ran!” In the second half of the XXth century, the two longest-running theatrical productions have been “The Mousetrap” (from a novel by Agatha Christie) and the comedy ‘No Sex, please, we’re British”. Both played continuously for more than fifteen years.

Britain is one of the world’s major theatre centres. Many British actors and actresses have the world fame. They are Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Glenda Jackson, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud an others.

But every large town in the country has its theatres. Even small towns often have ‘repertory’ theatres, where different plays are performed for short periods by the same group of professional actors (a repertory company). Besides, many people are enthusiastically involved in British theatre with a more or less amateur or part-time status. (2) ____________. Especially drama is popular with people of all ages.

Now Britain has about 300 professional theatres. Some of them are privately owned. (3) ____________. Regular seasons of opera and ballet are given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. The Royal National Theatre stages modern and classical plays. The Royal Shakespeare Company produces plays mainly by Shakespeare and his contemporaries when it performs in Stratford – on Avon, and modern plays in its two auditoria in the City’s Barbican Centre.

There are over 200 theatres in London, a quarter of which is in Westminster’s West End. Many other cities and large towns have at least one theatre.

(4) ____________. The National Youth Theatre, which stages classical plays mainly by Shakespeare and modern plays about youth, was on tour in Russia in 1989 for the first time. (5) ____________. Many famous English actors started their careers in the National Youth Theatre. Among them Timothy Dalton.

It seems that the conventional format of the theatrical play gives the undemonstrative British people (6) ____________. The country’s most successful and respected playwrights are usually those who explore the darker side of the personality and of personal relationships (albeit often through comedy).

British theatre has such a fine acting tradition that Hollywood is forever raiding its talent for people to star in films. British television does the same thing. Moreover, (7) ____________. In short, British theatre is much admired. As a consequence, it is something that British actors are proud of. Many of the most (8)____________.