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b) Noncommercial generally rural theatre based on local history. c)Something that amuses, pleases, especially a performance or shows.

d)The type of modern drama based on the concept of total alternation of a person from physical and social environment.

e)A person who writes plays for the stage.

f)Suited to or characteristic of the stage or theatre

g)Someone who regularly watches the plays at the theatre.

II. Read for a purpose.

You are going to read the text about American theatre. Before you read, complete the first two columns of the chart

What I know about	What want to know about	What I learnt about
American theatre	American theatre	American theatre

III. Agree or disagree, using the following expressions

To introduce your opinion use the following

I think ...

It seems to me ...

(Personally,) I believe ...

From my point of view / viewpoint...

(Personally,) I feel ... As far as I'm concerned, ...

In my view/opinion ...

As I see it, ...

As far as I can see, ...

To my knowledge,...

To disagree use the following

As a matter of fact, I don't agree.

I'm not sure, in fact.I'm not at all convinced.

I'm afraid I entirely disagree with ...

I don't think that's right.

I can't say I share your view.

To say you partly agree use the following

I agree with you up to a point/ in a sense/ in a way, but ...

I see what you mean, but ...

There's some truth in what you say. However, ...

I agree with much of what you say, but ...

To a certain extent, yes, but...

That may be true, but on the other hand ...

That's all very well, but ...

1. Broadway is a wide street cutting through New –York‘sIsland. 2. Experimental plays have been successful on Broadway.

3. Theatregoers came mostly from the society who can afford the price of a ticket.

4. A visit to ―Globus‖ has become a sign of prestige

5. As usual, Broadway welcomes theatrical production from abroad.

6. At the age of Enlightenment folk dramas, carnivals were very popular.

7.America‘s most important playwrights are considered to be Lope de Vega, Pedro Calderon de la Barca.

IV. Distinguishing facts from opinions.

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A fact is a statement that you can prove to be true. An opinion is a statement that describes someone’s feelings or beliefs about a topic. Learning to decide if a statement is a fact or opinion will help you understand more about what you read

Read each statement and decide if it is a fact or an opinion.

1.The American theatre is over two hundred years old, but American drama became American only in the 20th century when such prominent playwrights as Eugene O‘Neill, Robert Sherwood and others began their creative work. The centre of the American theatrical world is in a section of New York City on and near Broadway.

Fact Opinion

a.American drama became American only in the 20th century. b. Success on Broadway guarantees success elsewhere.

c.The centre of the American theatrical world is in a section of New York City.

2. America‘s most important playwrights are considered to be Eugene O‘Neill, Lilian Hellman, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Adwars Albee. Eugene O‘Neill was the first important

American playwright of serious, nonmusical drama. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1936, and he was the only dramatist to win the Pulitzer Prize in drama four times. At the age of Enlightenment folk dramas, carnivals were very popular. The genre of tragedy is the oldest of all but later comedies, operettas, variety shows appeared on the stage.

Fact Opinion

a. At the age of Enlightenment folk dramas, carnivals were very popular.

b.Eugene O‘Neill received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1936. c.America‘s most important playwrights are considered to be Eugene O‘Neill, Lilian Hellman, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller,

Adwars Albee.

3. Theatre-goers come mostly from the society who can afford the price of the ticket. A visit to Broadway has become a sign of prestige. Unlike other countries, there is no national subsidized theatre in the United States. The Broadway theatre is a truly commercial enterprise and to ensure success the producer must get a big famous star under contract. As usual, Broadway welcomes theatrical productions from abroad.

Fact Opinion

a. Theatre-goers come mostly from the society who can afford the price of the ticket.

b.A visit to Broadway has become a sign of prestige.

c. As usual, Broadway welcomes theatrical productions from abroad.

4.Two important developments in recent years are the "theatre of absurd" and the "black theatre". There are also some experiments with music and lighting, body movements to replace spoken words in expressing ideas, and spontaneous audience participation in some performances. Often they wanted to perform in new and experimental plays. By keeping production costs down and by using unknown casts instead of star performers, producers have been able to offer interesting theatre at low prices.

Fact Opinion

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a.Many theatre groups are active outside New York.

b.Two important developments in recent years are the "theatre of absurd" and the "black theatre".

c.There are also some experiments with music and lighting, body movements to replace spoken words in expressing ideas.

V. Using word maps.

When you are learning a new language you need to learn many new words. It can be difficult to remember the meanings of all the new words. One way to help you remember a new word is to make a word map.

Write the new word in the middle of the map. Then complete the rest of the map with a definition, a synonym, an antonym and an association you can make with this word.

Choose four words from the text ―American Theatre‖ that you want to learn and remember. Make a word map for each word, using the scheme.

DEFINITION		ANTONYM

VOCABULARY

WORD

SYNONYM		ASSOCIATION

VI. Complete the 3 rd column. Did the article answer any of your questions from the 2nd column? Which ones? Look all the things you wrote in the 1st columns. Were any of your ideas confirmed or rejected in the article? Which ones?

VII. EXPLORE THE WEB. Choose a famous playwright from the list below and explore the Web to look for some additional information about him. Analyze one of his plays.

Eugene O‘Neill,

Robert Sherwood

Lilian Hellman,

Tennessee Williams,

Arthur Miller,

Adwars Albee

VIII. Think about the topic.Try to express your opinion about the text using the following words and expressions

This plays a key/ vital / prominent / important/ major role in… This aspect is of fundamental / great/vital importance for… We have every reason to believe that…

We can safely assume that…

There is ample/ abundant evidence that…

This problem has to do with/ relates to/ is associated with/ is connected with

It‘s common knowledge that… It‘s well known that…

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TEXT II. Theatre of the United States

Earlier styles of theatre such as minstrel shows and Vaudeville acts have disappeared from the landscape, but theatre remains a popular American art form. Broadway productions still entertain millions of theatregoers as productions have become more elaborate and expensive. At the same time, theatre has also served as a platform for expression, and a venue for identity exploration for under-represented, minority communities, who have formed their own companies and created their own genres of works, notably East West Players, founded in 1965 as the first Asian American theatre group. Notable contemporary American playwrights include Edward Albee, August Wilson, Tony Kushner, David Henry Hwang, John Guare, andWendy Wasserstein.

Smaller urban theaters have stayed a source of innovation, and regional theaters remain an important part of theatre life. Drama is also taught in high schools and colleges, which was not done in previous eras, and many become interested in theatre through this.

The Faster Times, an online newspaper that began in 2009, features a weekly column that discusses issues and trends in American theatre.

The early years of the 20th century, before World War I, continued to see realism as the main development in drama. But starting around 1900, there was a revival of poetic drama in the States, corresponding to a similar revival in Europe (e.g. Yeats, Maeterlinck and Hauptmann). The most notable example of this trend was the "Biblical trilogy" of William Vaughn Moody, which also illustrates the rise of religious-themed drama during the same years, as seen in the 1899 production of Ben-Hur and two 1901 adaptations of Quo Vadis. Moody, however, is best known for two prose plays, The Great Divide (1906, later adapted into three film versions) and The Faith Healer (1909), which together point the way to modern American drama in their emphasis on the emotional conflicts that lie at the heart of contemporary social conflicts. Other key playwrights from this period (in addition to continued work by Howells and Fitch) include Edward Sheldon, Charles Rann Kennedy and one of the most successful women playwrights in American drama, Rachel Crothers, whose interest in women's issues can be seen in such plays as

He and She (1911).

During the period between the World Wars, American drama came to maturity, thanks in large part to the works of Eugene O'Neill and of the Provincetown Players. O'Neill's experiments with theatrical form and his combination of Naturalist and Expressionist techniques inspired other playwrights to use greater freedom in their works, whether expanding the techniques of Realism, as in Susan Glaspell's Trifles, or borrowing more heavily from German Expressionism (e.g., Elmer Rice's The Adding Machine), Other distinct movements during this period include folk-drama/regionalism (Paul Green's Pulitzer-winning In Abraham's Bosom), "pageant" drama (Green's The Lost Colony, about the mysterious Roanoke Colony), and even a return to poetic drama (Maxwell Anderson's Winterset). At the same time, the economic crisis of the Great Depression ledto the growth of protest drama, as seen in the Federal Theatre Project's Living Newspaper productions and in the works of Clifford Odets (e.g., Waiting for Lefty) and of moralist drama, as in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes and The Children's Hour. Other keyfigures of this era include George S. Kaufman, George Kelly, Langston Hughes, S. N. Behrman, Sidney Howard, Robert E. Sherwood, and a set of playwrights who followed O'Neill's path of philosophical searching, Philip Barry, Thornton Wilder (Our Town) and William Saroyan (The Time of Your Life). Theatre criticism kept pace with the drama, such as in the work of George Jean Nathan and in the numerous books and journals on American theater that were published during this time.

The stature that American drama had achieved between the Wars was cemented during the post-World War II generation, with the final works of O'Neill and his generation being joined by such towering figures as Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, as well as by the maturation of the musical theatre form. Other key dramatists include William Inge, Arthur Laurents and Paddy Chayefsky in the 50s, the avantgarde movement of Jack Richardson, Arthur Kopit, Jack Gelber and Edward Albee the 60s, and the maturation of black drama through Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwinand Amiri Baraka. In the musical theatre, important figures include

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Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, Frank Loesser, JuleStyne, Jerry Bock, Meredith Willson and Stephen Sondheim.

The period beginning in the mid-1960s, with the passing of Civil Rights legislation and its repercussions, came the rise of an "agenda" theatre comparable to that of the 1930s. Many of the major playwrights from the mid-century continued to produce new works, but were joined by names like Sam Shepard, Neil Simon, Romulus Linney, David Rabe, Lanford Wilson, David Mamet, and John Guare. Many important dramatists were women, including Beth Henley, Marsha Norman, Wendy Wasserstein, Megan Terry, Paula Vogel and María Irene Fornés. The growth of ethnic pride movements led to more success by dramatists from racial minorities, such as black playwrights Douglas Turner Ward, Adrienne Kennedy, Ed Bullins, Charles Fuller, Suzan-Lori Parks, George C. Wolfe and August Wilson, who created a dramatic history of United States with his cycle of plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, one for each decade of the 20th century. Asian American theatre is represented in the early 70s by Frank Chin and achieved international success with David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly.

I. Read the following sentences write the correct word in the space provided using the definitions below. If you need more help read the sentences in the text where the word appears and think about how it is used

1. 1. Earlier styles of theatre such asminstrel shows and___________ acts have disappeared from the landscape.

2.East West Players, founded in 1965 as the first Asian American __________. 3.Theatre has also served as a platform for expressionfor minority communities, who havecreated their own _____________of works.

4. ________ remain an important part of theatre life.

5. But starting around 1900, there was a revival of _________ in the States.

6.The growth of ethnic pride movements led to more success by _________ from racial minorities.

7.During the period between the World Wars, American drama came to maturity, thanks in large part to the works of Eugene O'Neill and of the Provincetown ____________.

a. regional theatre company, who wished to improve the conditionsfor other actors. b.a person portraying a character in a dramatic or comic production

c.a person who writes plays.

d. a particular style in literature, art or music.

e.the category of plays written wholly or mainly in verse. This includes most tragedies and other serious plays from the earliest.

f.professional or semi-professional company that produces its own seasons

g. a comic play, in which the dialogue alternates with singing songs and dancing

II. Read for a purpose.

You are going to read the text about American theatre. Before you read, complete the first two columns of the chart

What I know about	What want to know about	What I learnt about
American theatre	American theatre	American theatre

III. Agree or disagree, using the following expressions

To introduce your opinion use the following

I think ...

It seems to me ...

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(Personally,) I believe ...

From my point of view / viewpoint...

(Personally,) I feel ... As far as I'm concerned, ...

In my view/opinion ...

As I see it, ...

As far as I can see, ...

To my knowledge,...

To disagree use the following

As a matter of fact, I don't agree.

I'm not sure, in fact.I'm not at all convinced.

I'm afraid I entirely disagree with ...

I don't think that's right.

I can't say I share your view.

To say you partly agree use the following

I agree with you up to a point/ in a sense/ in a way, but ...

I see what you mean, but ...

There's some truth in what you say. However, ...

I agree with much of what you say, but ...

To a certain extent, yes, but...

That may be true, but on the other hand ...

That's all very well, but ...

1. Smaller city theaters have stayed a source of innovation. 2.Opera is also taught in high schools and colleges. 3.Asian American theatre is represented in the early 70s.

4. The Faster Times, an online newspaper that began in 2009, features a weekly column that discusses issues and trends in American theatre.

5.During the period between the World Wars, American drama came to maturitythanks to the works of William Shakespear.

6.Broadway productions still entertain millions of playwrighs. 7. Regional cinemas remain an important part of theatre life.

IV. DISTINGUISHING FACTS FROM OPINIONS.

A fact is a statement that you can prove to be true. An opinion is a statement that describes someone’s feelings or beliefs about a topic. Learning to decide if a statement is a fact or opinion will help you understand more about what you read

Read each statement and decide if it is a fact or an opinion.

1.The early years of the 20th century, before World War I, continued to see realism as the main development in drama. But starting around 1900, there was a revival of poetic drama in the States, corresponding to a similar revival in Europe (e.g. Yeats, Maeterlinck and Hauptmann). The most notable example of this trend was the "Biblical trilogy" of William Vaughn Moody, which also illustrates the rise of religious-themed drama during the same years, as seen in the 1899 production of Ben-Hur and two 1901 adaptations of Quo Vadis.

Fact Opinion

a.The early years of the 20th century, before World War I, continuedto see realism as the main development in drama.

b.The most notable example of this trend was the "Biblical trilogy". c.Starting around 1900, there was a revival of poetic drama in the States.

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2. Smaller urban theaters have stayed a source of innovation, and regional theaters remain an important part of theatre life. Drama is also taught in high schools and colleges, which was not done in previous eras, and many become interested in theatre through this.

The Faster Times, an online newspaper that began in 2009, features a weekly column that discusses issues and trends in American theatre.

Fact Opinion

a.The Faster Times, an online newspaper that began in 2009, features aweekly column that discusses issues and trends in American theatre.

b. Smaller urban theaters have stayed a source of innovation, and regional theatres remain an important part of theatre life.

c.Drama is also taught in high schools and colleges, which was not oneinprevious eras, and many become interested in theatre through this.

3.Earlier styles of theatre such as minstrel shows and Vaudeville acts have disappeared from the landscape, but theatre remains a popular American art form. Broadway productions still entertain millions of theatregoers as productions have become more elaborate and expensive. At the same time, theatre has also served as a platform for expression, and a venue for identity exploration for under-represented, minority communities, who have formed their own companies and created their own genres of works, notably East West Players.

Fact Opinion

a.Broadway productions still entertain millions of theatregoers as productions have become more elaborate and expensive.

b.Earlier styles of theatre such as minstrel shows and Vaudeville acts have disappeared from the landscape.

c. Theatre has also served as a platform for communities who havecreated their own genres of works.

4.The period beginning in the mid-1960s, with the passing of Civil Rights legislation and its repercussions, came the rise of an "agenda" theatre comparable to that of the 1930s. Many of the major playwrights from the mid-century continued to produce new works. Many important dramatists were women, including Beth Henley, Marsha Norman, Wendy Wasserstein, Megan Terry, Paula Vogel. The growth of ethnic pride movements led to more success by dramatists from racial minorities, such as black playwrights Douglas Turner Ward, Adrienne Kennedy, who created a dramatic history of United States for each decade of the 20th century.

Fact Opinion

a.Many of the major playwrights from the mid-century continued to produce new works.

b.The growth of ethnic pride movements led to more success by dramatists from racial minorities

c. The period beginning in the mid1960s came the rise of an "agenda" theatrecomparable to the 1930s.

V. Using word maps.

When you are learning a new language you need to learn many new words. It can be difficult to remember the meanings of all the new words. One way to help you remember a new word is to make a word map.

83

Write the new word in the middle of the map. Then complete the rest of the map with a definition, a synonym, an antonym and an association you can make with this word.

Choose four words from the text ―American Theatre‖ that you want to learn and remember. Make a word map for each word, using the scheme.

DEFINITION		ANTONYM

VOCABULARY

WORD

SYNONYM		ASSOCIATION

VI. Complete the 3 rd column. Did the article answer any of your questions from the 2nd column? Which ones? Look all the things you wrote in the 1st columns. Were any of your ideas confirmed or rejected in the article? Which ones?

VII. EXPLORE THE WEB.Choose a famous playwright from the list below and explore the Web to look for some additional information about him. Analyze one of his plays.

Betty Comden

Adolph Green,

Richard Adler Jerry Ross, Frank Loesser, JuleStyne

VIII. Try to retell the text using the following words and expressions

This plays a key/ vital / prominent / important/ major role in… This aspect is of fundamental / great/vital importance for… We have every reason to believe that…

We can safely assume that…

There is ample/ abundant evidence that…

This problem has to do with/ relates to/ is associated with/ is connected with

It‘s common knowledge that… It‘s well known that

TEXT III

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA

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The Metropolitan Opera (the "Met") is an opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager. The music director is James Levine. The company's origins were in the late 19th century as an alternative to the previously established Academy of Music opera house.

The Metropolitan Opera Company was founded in 1880 to create an alternative to the old established Academy of Music opera house. The subscribers to the Academy's limited number of private boxes represented the highest stratum in New York society. These "old money" families were loath to admit New York's newly wealthy industrialists into their long-established circle.

Tired of being excluded, the Metropolitan Opera's founding subscribers determined to build a new opera house that would outshine the old Academy in every way. A group of some 22 men assembled at Delmonico's restaurant on April 28, 1880. They elected officers and established subscriptions for ownership in the new company. The new theater would include three tiers of private boxes. The first Met subscribers included members of the Morgan, Roosevelt, and Vanderbilt families, all of whom had been excluded from the Academy. Their new opera house opened on October 22, 1883 and was an immediate success. The Academy of Music's opera season folded just three years after the Met opened.

In its early decades the Met did not produce the opera performances itself but hired prominent manager/impresarios to stage a season of opera at the theater. Henry Abbey served as manager for the inaugural season 1883-1884 which opened with a performance of Charles Gounod's Faust starring the brilliant Swedish sopranoChristinaNilsson. (Faust was performed in Italian, as were all of the operas staged during the first season, including those written in French and German.)

The Metropolitan Opera is the largest classical music organization in North America. It presents about 27 different operas each year in a season which lasts from late September through May. The operas are presented in a rotating repertoryschedule with up to seven performances of four different works staged each week. Performances are given in the evening Monday through

Saturday with a matinée on Saturday. Several operas are presented in new productions each season.

Sometimes these are borrowed from or shared with other opera houses. The rest of the year's operas are given in revivals of productions from previous seasons. The 2012/13 season comprised 209 performances of 28 operas.

The operas in the Met's repertoire consist of a wide range of works, from 18th Century Baroque and 19th Century Bel canto to the Minimalism of the late 20th Century. These operasare presented in staged productions that range in style from those with elaborate traditional decors to others that feature modern conceptual designs.

The Met's performing company consists of a large symphony-sized orchestra, a chorus, children's choir, and many supporting and leading solo singers. The company also employs numerous free-lance dancers, actors, musicians and other performers throughout the season. The Met's roster of singers includes both international and American artists, some of whose careers have been developed through the Met's young artists programs. While many singers appear periodically as guests with the company, others, such as Renée Fleming and Plácido Domingo, have long maintained a close association with the Met, appearing many times each season.

The company's annual operating budget for the 2011/12 season was $325 million, of which $182 million (43%) comes from private donations. The total potential audience across a season is 800,000 seats. The average audience rate for the 3800-seat theater in 2011 was 79.2%, down from a peak of 88% in 2009. Beyond performing in the opera house in New York, the Met has gradually expanded its audience over the years through technology. It has broadcast regularly on radio since 1931 and on television since 1977. In 2006, the Met began live satellite radio and internet broadcasts as well as live high-definition video transmissions presented in cinemas throughout the world. In 2011, the total HD audience reached 3 million through 1600 theaters worldwide.

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I. Read the following sentences write the correct word in the space provided using the definitions below. If you need more help read the sentences in the text where the word appears and think about how it is used

1.The Metropolitan … is a company based in New York City.

2.In its early decades the Met did not produce the opera performances itself but hired prominent

… to stage

3.The Metropolitan Opera's founding subscribers determined to build a new …. 4.The Met's roster of singers includes both international and American …

5.The company also employs numerous free-lance dancers, actors, … and other performers.

6.The new … would include three tiers of private boxes.

7.Performances are given in the evening Monday through Saturday with a …on Saturday.

a. a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to an artist manager.

b.a person who is talented1 in making music or performing music creatively, or one who composes, conducts, or performs music.

c. a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place.

d.a showing of a theatrical performance in the afternoon.

e.a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts, and/or demonstrating an art.

f. is a theatre building used for opera performances.

g.the genre of music and dramatic art, in which the content is embodied by means of musical drama...

II. Read for a purpose

You are going to read the text about American theatre. Before you read, complete the first two columns of the chart

What I know about	What want to know about	What I learnt about
American theatre	American theatre	American theatre

III. Agree or disagree, using the following expressions To introduce your opinion use the following

● I think ...

It seems to me ...

(Personally,) I believe ...

From my point of view / viewpoint...

(Personally,) I feel ... As far as I'm concerned, ...

In my view/opinion ...

As I see it, ...

As far as I can see, ...

To my knowledge,...

To disagree use the following

As a matter of fact, I don't agree.

I'm not sure, in fact.I'm not at all convinced.

I'm afraid I entirely disagree with ...

I don't think that's right.

I can't say I share your view.

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