Language focus

Read the article about one of the best-known Ukrainian playwrights Sergey Danchenko. Make sure you study the language of the text to be competent in further exercises and discussions.

King Lear

---------------- Adrian Noble's modern production of William Shakespeare's 'King Lear' opened last week at the Barbican Theatre in London to enthusiastic (1)…………. .

Robert Stephens, heading an impressive supporting cast, gives a moving and powerful (2) …………. as Lear, and David Bradley, who (3)…………… the Earl of Gloucester, is so convincing in the (4)……….that several members of the (5)…………… who were sitting in the front (6)………… are reported to have fainted during one particularly realistic (7)…………… .

(8)…………. its length - the play runs for three and three quarter hours with two half-hour (9) …………. - Noble's production is anything but tedious. 'King Lear' will run at the Barbican until March and (10) ................... booking is recommended.

The Ukrainian Theatre. My Favourite Playwright/

Theatre Actor/Actress

— Speaking

Choose one of the prominent Ukrainian theatre actors (actresses, playwrights).

Speak about his/her career. Why do you like him/her? Discuss the necessary professional traits the real actor has to possess.

& 1. Reading.

SERGEY DANCHENKO

"THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF HUMAN LIFE IS SPIRITUAL PERFECTION. AS LONG AS IT IS NOT TAKING PLACE, WE CAN SAY THAT HUMANKIND HAS LOST THE GAME."

Serhy Danchenko, "Conversations on Theater"

Ukrainian theater has lost one of its best-known personalities with the passing of Serhy Danchenko, professor, actor and artistic director of Kyiv's Ivan Franko Theater.

Danchenko died on Aug. 20 at the age of 64. In his memory, the Ivan Franko Theater will stage a week- long retrospective of his work, Oct. 5-12.

Artistic director at Ivan Franko for more than 20 years, Danchenko had a tremendous influence on theater both at home and across the former East­ern Bloc. He discovered and nurtured what would become the cream of modern-day Ukrainian theater-names like Bohdan Stupka, Anatoly Khostikoyev and Andry Zholdak, to name just a few.

Danchenko had theater in his blood. His grandfather was a theater director and his parents were actors. Danchenko followed in their foot-steps, entering the theater in western Ukraine and rising to the position of theater director himself at the Zankovetska Theater in Lviv in 1965. It was an exciting time. The 1950s witnessed the return to Lviv of a wave of Ukrainian intellectuals exiledto Siberia by the Soviet authorities. Danchenko was influ­enced by Lviv's cosmopolitan atmos­phere and became a member of a dissident group now known as the "'60s Generation."

The Zankovetska Theater became a cultural center, where actors inter­acted with composers, artists and playwrights. Through the Zankovet­ska, Danchenko helped preserve the integrity of Ukrainian theater, which, like most aspects of Ukrainian cul­ture, had been largely forced under­ground by the Soviets. His first plays became landmarks of Ukrainian cul­ture. His "Stone Master" reflected on freedom, his "Richard III" on the psychology of totalitarianism.

n 1978, Danchenko became artis­tic director of the Ivan Franko The­ater. In the face of opposition from the establishment, he made vast inroads on making all of Ukrainian theater more European. He raised artistic standards and refused to shy away from philosophical themes like the meaning of human existence.

"For me, the goal of life is to bring spiritual dimension to people's lives, and to turn them on the way to per­fection," Danchenko once said. He remained loyal to that creed. In his interpretation of Shakespeare's "King Lear," the play becomes a metaphor for time and the destiny of man, reflecting Danchenko's own conviction that the future of human­ity was in doubt. Only in madness, he says, can man see the truth - as is the case when the king and his jester swap roles.

Danchenko's choice of authors and plays, however, was never influenced by short-lived trends. He preferred classics to modern authors, never worrying about national borders and creating a theater that was universal rather than provincial. He gave the more than two dozen plays he pro­duced - including Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," Lesya Ukrainka's "Stone Master," Jean Anouilh's "Thieves' Ball" and Ivan Kotlyarevsky's "The Aeneid" - an added dimension that made them classics of Ukrainian the­ater.

Danchenko is succeeded at the Ivan Franko Theater by Stupka, until recently Ukraine's culture minister and widely considered Ukraine's best actor. Stupka started out as a student of Danchenko, 34 years ago in Lviv, and worked closely with Danchenko until his dying days.

Kicking off Ivan Franko's new sea­son at an Oct. 2 press conference, Stupka noted that Danchenko's plays were not always appreciated by crit­ics. But, he said, "We will very soon feel what Danchenko's death means for Ukrainian theater - not only actors and his theatre, but also the public."

In Danchenko's memory, Stupka will see through Danchenko's planned production of Ibsen's "Pere Gynt." He also plans on opening a small experi­mental theater - Danchenko's dream for many years - by the end of the year adjacent to the Ivan Franko The­ater. Naturally, it will be named after Serhy Danchenko.

Comprehensive questions:

1) What was Danchenko’s contribution to Ukrainian theatre?

2) What were the first steps in his theatrical career? Who influenced the choice of his career?

3) What role did the Zankovetska theatre and the Ivan Franko theatre play in Danchenko’s life?

4) What topics did the great master raise in his productions?

5) What are the striking features of his productions?

6) What was Danchenko’s creed?

7) Are there any Danchenko’s successors nowadays? What is done in his memory?

? 2.Match the words into collocations

? 3. Translate the following words and word-combinations into English:

Стати віхами української культури; робити замах; обмінятися ролями; зміст людського буття; бути примушеним піти у підпілля; художній керівник; огляд; виношувати (план), виховувати/навчати майбутніх корифеїв сучасної української сцени; театр був його покликанням; бути свідком; допомогти зберегти цілісність; бути у вигнанні; взаємодіяти; отримати когось в наступники; мати величезний вплив на театр; ніколи не зазнавати впливу недовговічних течій або напрямків; суміжний; бути оціненим критиками; в супереч опозиції з боку влади; блазень; залишатися вірним своєму переконанню; відображати чиєсь переконання; надати іншого трактування; направити на шлях вдосконалення; багатонаціональна атмосфера; принести важливість духовного в людське життя; уникати філософських тем.

? 4. Translate the following words and word-combinations into Ukrainian:

To have theater in one’s blood, become landmarks of Ukrainian cul­ture, to shy away from philosophical themes, to help preserve the integrity, to plan on, to nurture what would become the cream of modern-day Ukrainian theater, cosmopolitan atmos­phere, to make vast inroads on, to have a tremendous influence on theater, to bring spiritual dimension to people's lives, to give an added dimension, to be never influenced by short-lived trends, adjacent to, to reflect smb’s conviction, to remain loyal to one’s creed, to turn on the way to per­fection, in the face of opposition from the establishment, to witness, jester, to be succeeded by, to be appreciated by crit­ics, to be exiled, to inter­act with, to be forced under­ground, to swap roles, the meaning of human existence, retrospective, artistic director.

? 5.Explain the meanings of the following word combinations in English. Make up your sentences using them

1. the ultimate goal

2. spiritual perfection

3. to nurture what would become the cream of modern-day Ukrainian theater

4. to have theatre in one’s blood

5. to follow in one’s foot-steps

6. to preserve the integrity of Ukrainian theater

7. to become landmarks of Ukrainian cul­ture

8. to raise artistic standards

9. to shy away from philosophical themes

10. to bring spiritual dimension to people's lives

11. to remain loyal to that creed

12. to reflect one’s own conviction

13. to swap roles

14. to be never influenced by short-lived trends

15. to add dimension

16. to be succeeded at the theater by smb

17. to be not always appreciated by crit­ics

18. adjacent to

Explain the meanings of the following word combinations in English and use them in the situations of your own.

19. the ultimate goal

20. spiritual perfection

21. to nurture what would become the cream of modern-day Ukrainian theater

22. to have theatre in one’s blood

23. to follow in one’s foot-steps

24. to preserve the integrity of Ukrainian theater

25. to become landmarks of Ukrainian cul­ture

26. to raise artistic standards

27. to shy away from philosophical themes

28. to bring spiritual dimension to people's lives

29. to remain loyal to that creed

30. to reflect one’s own conviction

31. to swap roles

32. to be never influenced by short-lived trends

33. to add dimension

34. to be succeeded at the theater by smb

35. to be not always appreciated by crit­ics

36. adjacent to

? 3. Translate the following words and word-combinations into English:

Стати віхами української культури; в супереч опозиції; робити замах; обмінятися ролями; зміст буття; бути примушеним піти у підпілля; художній керівник; огляд; виношувати(план), виховувати, навчати; мати театр у крові ;бути свідком; допомогти зберегти цілісність; засилати; взаємодіяти ;мати величезний вплив на театр; бути під впливом недовговічних течій або напрямків ;стати наступником; починати ;суміжний; бути оціненим критиками; блазень; відображати чиєсь переконання; стати віхами української культури; направити на шлях вдосконалення ; принести важливість духовного в людське життя ;уникати філософських тем.

? 4. Translate into English:

1. Народ, у якого любов до театру була національною ознакою, довгі століття не міг його мати.

2. Думку щодо театральності українців можна підтвердити вже тим, що навіть свій побут, родинні свята й хліборобські процеси вони супроводжували мистецькою грою, піснями й танцями. І ніяке рабство – фізичне чи духовне – не задушило в нашому народові животрепетної любові до прекрасного.

3. Створення українського професійного театру – явище мистецьке й загальнонаціональне.

4. Пауза в розвитку українського театру після Котляревського була досить тривалою.

5. Аматорський рух став основою для створення в Україні професійного театру. А з появою на мистецькому обрії Марка Кропивницького – прекрасного актора та обдарованого режисера, з приходом у театр братів Тобілевичів, Марії Заньковецької, Олександри Віриної та багатьох інших чудових акторів почалася золота сторінка української культури, яка й нині сповнює нас гордістю.

? 6. Translate into English using the words given below:

З історії українського театру

Микола Старицький, видатний український актор, режисер та театральний діяч, багато років жив і працював в Києві. Починаючи з 1893 року, він щорічно виступав на київських сценах у складі гастролюючої трупи разом із талановитою актрисою Марією Заньковецькою.

Саме в Києві, в Троїцькому Народному Домі пройшли вистави первого українського постійного театру. Театр було засновано в 1906 році в Полтаві. Одним з його засновників був Микола Старицький. Спочатку трупа була пересувною, так як не мала свого приміщення. Вистави театру тепло сприймалися всіма прошарками українського народу, зокрема інтелігенцією.

Микола Старицький створив багато неповторних образів у виставах за творами таких видатних українських письменників та драматургів як Карпенко-Карий, Леся Українка, Старицький, Гоголь та інші. Він же здійснював і постановчі роботи в театрі.

Основу репертуару театру складала українська класика, але здійснювались також постановки п’єс російських та зарубіжних авторів.

Багато уваги приділялось театральним реквізітам. Гарно оздоблені декорації допомагали краще сприйняти історичний зміст та фольклорне забарвлення. Ескізи костюмів для акторів створювалися відомими художниками.

Неабияке значення приділялось і музичному супроводу. Про це свідчить те, що музику для вистав писали такі композитори як М.Лисенко та К.Стеценко. Цікаво, що навіть капельдинери були вдягнуті в українські національні костюми аби створити неповторний український колорит.

An outstanding theatre worker; a touring company; scenery; a repertory theatre; to be received by the public; to give an excellent reception; stage-version; repertoire; to write music for classics; historical background; settings /properties/; sketches of costumes; box-keeper /usher/ - капельдинер; unique colouring.

G.AMAZING FACTS

1.The first professional European theatre was Italia Comedia del arte. In Ukraine the first professional troupes appeared at the beginning of the eighteenth century. In Russia the first plays were performed in schools in the 16-18 centuries and self theatres in 18-19 centuries.

2.The first Ukrainian performances were “Natalka Poltavka” by Kotlyarevsky staged at the Poltava free theatre.

3.At the end of the 20^th century there were about 90 theatres in Ukraine.

4.The Lumiere brothers, French engineers, first invented a camera and projector in one – the Cinematographe. They gave the first performance in Paris in 1895. It was the world’s first “film show”.

5.The early films were silent – there was music with the film, played on the piano in the cinema. The first films with sound were shown in England in 1925 by Lee de Forest. They were called “talkies” and were very popular with the audience.

6.The first Hollywood studio was built in 1911. The American film-makers came to California because of good weather and because the Californian workers were cheap to employ. In 1913 C. B. DeMille came to Hollywood and started what became known as Paramount Studios.

7.The Hollywood’s grand prix got its name in 1931 as the director of the Academy Awards thought that it looked like her uncle Oscar.

8.The only Ukrainian Oscar winner is emigrant Volodymyr Palagiv. He was awarded Oscar in 1999 for the role of a pirate.

9.Recently two new pieces of Mozart have been discovered and played for the first time in the city of his birth Salzburg.

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