Voltaire (1694-1778)
Visiting the theatre
We are first-year students of the English and Theatre Department. We are busy for 8 or 10 hours almost every day, because we have rehearsals in the afternoon after classes. We have theoretical and special subjects
My friend Boris is a beginning actor. He takes part in classroom plays and that’s why he rehearses a lot with his friends. They have rehearsals even on days off. Fred speaks English. He has a very good voice and likes to sing English songs to the guitar. He is going to learn to play the piano.
Boris is a great theatre lover. He tries to see the most interesting performances in our city. And he often invites me to go to the theatre with him.
I prefer to go to the Drama Theatre. As a rule I go to the evening performances. There are several theatres and a philharmonic hall in our city: the Drama Theatre, the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Chamber Theatre, the Puppet Theatre, the Young People’s Theatre. They show dramas, tragedies, and comedies, operas and ballets.
As a rule we go to the evening performances (usually they begin at 7 p.m.). Not long ago we went to the Opera and Ballet Theatre, we wanted to see the famous ballet «Romeo and Juliet» by S. Prokofiev, the great Russian composer.
It was rather difficult to buy tickets and we had to book the tickets beforehand because the performance was a great success with the public. There was a long line at the box-office. But we were lucky and got the tickets.
We arrived at the theatre ahead of time and at the entrance we saw some people who had no tickets to get in. These people asked everybody who was passing by for the extra-tickets. They were ready to sit anywhere and enjoy the performance.
Having shown our tickets to the usher, we passed through the entrance hall and went to the cloak-room, where we left our hats and coats. I got a programme from the usher to see what the cast was. The leading parts were acted by the talented young dancers. We entered the hall and took our seats in stalls not far from the stage. The house was full. The orchestra pit was next to the stage. That was where the musicians sat and played the music. The performance began after the third bell had rung.
At 7 p.m. sharp the lights went out. The conductor appeared and the overture began. After the overture the curtain went up. I was in raptures at what I saw on the stage. From the very first minute I was deeply impressed by everything I saw on the stage and followed the play with the great interest. The setting and dancing were superb. The costumes were fine and the scenery and the music were brilliant. The ballet seemed to me a fairy tale. I could not take my eyes off the stage.
During the interval we went to the foyer and looked at the portraits of the singers and dancers of the Theatre on the walls. When the curtain fell at the end of the performance there was a storm of applause. The dancers received call after call and were presented with flowers. The performance was a great success with the public.
Words & Expressions:
to rehearse – репетировать
a theatre lover – театрал
a performance – представление, выступление
the Chamber Theatre – камерный театр
the Puppet Theatre – кукольный театр
the Young People’s Theatre – театр юного зрителя
to book the tickets – заказать билеты
a box-office – театральная касса
a cloak-room – раздевалка
cast – состав исполнителей
an orchestra pit – оркестровая яма
a conductor – дирижер
a curtain - занавес
to be in raptures – быть в восторге, в восхищении
setting – художественное оформление спектакля (декорации, костюмы)
scenery – декорации
Exercise. Match the words.
big a. drama
box b. opera
police c. your hands
chat d. show
soap e. instrument
clap f. hit
musical g. piece
cloak- h. circle
dress- i. office
master j. room