Performing

Throughout the world the name Shakespeare is associated wit hthe greatest achievement of England in the performing arts. W. Shakespeare emerged in the rather powerful and controversial Elizabethan Era of the 16^th century. For more than 5 centuries his works has been played and quoted throughout the world. The 16^th century was a time of immense creativity. It was said that at that time the full flower of the Renaissance at last reached England. It was at that time that commercial theater began. The most famous was the Globe Theater in London. It was destroyed in the 17^th century by Puritans. But in 1990s it was replaced by the authentic replica.

Great Britain takes pride for its world-famous playwrights, like Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Marlowe wrote The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus presumably in 1604.

Choral music became an important musical tradition in England, its roots also date bake to the Elizabethan Era. Its development was encouraged by the Protestant Reformation in England. At that time the Protestant Reformation changed the language in church services from Latin to English. Thomas Tallis and William Byrd are noted composers of church music. During the Elizabethan Era such genre as the madrigal song (a song for 2 or more voices) developed as well.

The Puritans banned theater because they considered it immoral and when they happened to control England in the 17^th century, theater came to some sort of decline. But in the period of Restoration theater was revived along with the monarchy. Restoration theater featured comedies about social manners, which was a contrast to all dramatic themes of Shakespeare’s era. William Wycherley and William Congreve.

England’s operas appeared in the late 17^th century. Henry Purcell is a noted composer of that era. In the 18^th century opera was also rather developed in popular. George Frederic Handel – most famous for Messiah oratorio. As for the theatrical art, in the 18^th century the number of theaters grew, and the plays performed became more satirical. Oliver Goldsmith wrote comedies as well as novels, poems, essays. An Irish Richard Brinsley Sheridan was another noted playwright.

In the 19^th century a unique form of amusement – a music hall – was developed. It’s related to 18^th century vaudeville. Music halls provided variety shows with comedy acts and songs. The pantomime also emerged in the Victorian Era. Primarily pantomime was an elaborately costume retellings of fairy-tales staged during the Christmas season. Pantomime performances involved song, dance, slapstick-comedy, audience participation. The comic operas of Sir William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan were also an important part of the Victorian music. They are still produced around the world.

In the 20^th century Britain became one of the world’s greatest centers for drama. Britain’s many theaters attract crowds from all over the world. In the early 20^th century noted playwrights included John Galsworthy and Noel Coward.

Britain has more than 300 professional theaters, and they all have been producing plays successfully. More than 100 theaters in London. There are approximately 300 professional theater companies. Some artistic groups are associated with specific theaters, some of them are touring companies. The world-famous are Royal Shakespeare Company, performing in London and the theaters of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Countless amateur theater companies perform throughout Britain.

Music has been enormously important in Britain throughout the century. London is regarded as one of the greatest musical capitals of the world. Appreciation of the good music is wide-spread and it has been cultivated for many decades in this country. The genres are styles of the music are diverse.

Britain has thousands of amateur opera societies, musical groups, orchestras, dance bands, rock and jazz groups.

Important composers in the early 20^th century are Sir Edward Elgar, Sir William Walton, Lloyd Webber (Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera).

Britain has many professional orchestras: the London Philharmonic and The London Symphony orchestras are the most important. Britain has several major opera companies, the most well-known of which are the Royal Opera and the English National Opera in London, the Glynderbourne Opera in South England.

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Sting and many other.

morris dancing

the Scottish Highland fling

Celtic music

ceilidhs

Films

The matter is that the British film industry has even the longer industry than American. It’s noted for many critically acclaimed productions and actors. In recent decades the British film industry has become largely international. The great pool of the American box office has always lured British actors, directors and producers to Hollywood. British studios and locations have been used in international productions because of Britain’s unique landscapes. The film industry in Britain developed primarily in 1930s. At that time the government established a quota regarding that a certain percentage shown in Britain must be made in Britain. Hungarian-born producer Alexander Korda came at that time. Also industry got the boost from German writers escaping Nazis. London-born director Alfred Hitchcock produced popular films.

After WWII British industry was literally drawing upon classics by Dickens, Shakespeare, etc. In the late 40s – early 50s a number of witty comedies appeared, which appealed to the more educated and culturally conservative segment of the British society.

The mid-50s was the time of free cinema movement. It showed low-budget films that were to highlight and eliminate the problems of contemporary life. Simultaneously so-called new cinema films began to present anti-establishment and anti-middle class views and social realism. Notable examples of new cinema films are Look Back in Anger, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

David Lean was a famous directors who produced many popular films in the 1940s-1950s. He is noted for the big lavish epics, particularly The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia.

For a brief London became the film production capital of the world. Tom Jones, Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Gandhi, Chaplin, Shadowlands.