The word Theater means a “place for seeing”. Theatres can be different - Drama Theatres, Opera  and Ballet Theatre, Operetta Theatres, Puppet Theatres, Musical Comedy Theatres.

 The visitors usually buy tickets in the ticket box offices.                                                                       When you go in, you enter the foyer, and then you come to the cloak-room, where you can leave your coats and hats. 

You can also take opera glasses there and buy the programme to know the cast.

                                         After that you go to the theatre hall. The person who meets you at the entrance is usher. You must show your ticket to him / her.  He /she shows you where to sit in the hall.                                      When you enter the hall, you can see the beautiful stage curtain.                         The performance usually starts at 7 p.m.

There are different seats in the hall. They are in the stalls, in the box, in the dress circle, in the balcony, or in the gallery. The price of the seats  is different. The cheapest ones are in the gallery, the most expensive — in the stalls, in the box.

You take your seats in the hall.  The third bell rings, the curtain goes up, the lights go down. The performance begins and you become a spectator.

The orchestra pit is next to the stage. This is where the musicians sit and play the music.

Usually the play has some acts. Between the acts of the play there are intervals.                                               The spectators leave their seats and go to the buffet where they can eat a cake and drink a glass of lemonade or juice. During the interval they discuss the performance and the acting of the actors and actresses.

At the end of the performance when the curtain falls, the audience bursts into applause if the play is a great success.

1. Match these definitions to the words in the text : 

                                                                                     1. a building designed for the performance of plays, operas, etc;                          

                                                                                      2. all the people who act in a play;                      

3. an area where actors perform;                    

4. piece of thick heavy cloth that hang in front of the stage;                                                                                                            

5. the seats that are nearest to the stage in a theatre;                                                                            

6. a small area in a theatre separated off from where other people  sit;                  

The actors, actresses and the director come on the stage to bow  to the audience. Some spectators present them with flowers.

7. the first level of seats above  the ground floor in a theatre;                                                   

8. an upstairs area at the back of a large hall where people can sit;                                       

9. a person who is watching a play performance;                                                                     

10. the group of people who watch a play;                                                                       11. hand clapping as a demonstration of appreciation. 

It's a great pleasure to go to the theatre and watch an interesting play there.

2. Focus on Grammar.

Simple past: I V2/ I did not V1    

Match the 1st and the  2nd form of the  irregular verbs:

go –                          saw

buy –                        burst                                                  leave –                     came                                                 take –                       drank                                              

see -                          ate

have –                      bought                                                     meet –                      went                                              begin -                      left                                                         eat –                          took                                                                           drink –                     met                                            

burst -                       began                                             come –                      had                                                     

3. Answer the questions:

                                                                                 1. What kind of theatre did you go to?                                                                          2. What performance was on?                           3. Where did you buy the tickets?                    4. Where did you leave your coat and hat in the theatre?                                  5. Did you buy the programme to know the cast?                                               6. Did you take opera glasses?                                                                                                    

7. Did the usher meet you at the entrance?                                                               8. What did he/she do?                          9. Where did you take your seat?                                  10. Did you see the stage very well?                                                                                                                        11. What was next to the stage?                           12. When did the curtain go up, the lights go down?                                           

13. When did the performance start?             14. What did you do during the interval?                                                        15. Was the play a great success?                  16. Did the audience               burst into applause?                                                           17. Why did the actors, actresses and the director come on the stage?

  4. Make up the sentences to express your feelings about the performance you’ve ever watched.

The play was …

The cast was…                                                         The costumes were …

The scenery was…                                                The dancing and music were …                                                                           

It was a … performance.                            It was so …

I enjoyed every minute of… acting.

I was deeply impressed by … ballet / performance / play.                                                             I am sure that it is worth going to …

great

impressing

terrific 

thrilling

excellent                                                                     beautiful                                                perfect                                                                   wonderful                                                    charming                                                        beautiful                                                                                                                         marvelous                                                  gorgeous                                          remarkable

Key: 1. Theater; 2. cast; 3. a stage;                 4. curtain; 5. the stalls; 6. the box;                 7. the dress circle; 8. gallery;                                        9. spectator; 10. audience; 11. applause.