B. Success and failure

A. Useful adjectives for describing works and performances

Match the words in column A with their equivalents in column B. Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following words.

Work in pairs. Match the definitions of functions below with the artistic staff professionals in exercise 15.

 

A.responsible for actors' clothes B. in charge of finding actors C. interprets the play D. writes plays E. responsible for sound effects F. in charge of the light on the stage
G. responsible for scenery, furniture etc used on a stage H. writes stories and words for a performance I. in charge of technical aspects of a performance J. responsible for technical aspects of the production process K. gives instructions to actors and others working on a play

18. Work in pairs. Discuss the artistic staff and technical theatre personnel needed to produce and stage a play. What kind of responsibilities do each of the production team members have?

 

A B
1. performing arts a. belief
2. spectacle b. fundamental
3. mummer c. whole
4. paramount d. matter
5. entire e. harlequin
6. creed (n) f. theatre plus music etc
7. enormous g. image
8. concern (n) h. preeminent
9. seminal i. tremendous
10. act out j. story line
11. narrative (adj) k. modern
12. root l. study
13. routine m. affection
14. contemporary n. agitator
15. passion o. play
16. plot p. pattern
17. catalyst q. storylike
18. critique r. stem

 

adjective Meaning Example
overrated Not as good as people say It’s an overrated play.
hackneyed done so often it is boring The plot was so hackneyed!
impenetrable complex and impossible to understand His films are impenetrable.
disjointed unconnected and not in a clear order The play was disjointed and difficult to follow.
far-fetched impossible to believe The film Green Aliens from Mars was a bit far-fetched.
risqué slightly immoral and likely to shock some people The play was a bit risqué, and some religious leaders criticized it.
gripping exciting and keeping your attention the whole time It was a gripping film from start to finish.
harrowing extremely upsetting It was a harrowing documentary about war and refugee camps.
moving making you feel strong emotion, especially pity or sadness It’s a moving story about a child whose mother dies.
memorable you remember it long after That was a memorable performance.
understated done or expressed in a simple but attractive style The whole ballet is really understated.

 

His latest opera was panned [very negatively criticised] by the critics, which is strange, since all his previous works have been universally lauded [highly praised).

The play bombed in London's West End, but was more successful in New York. [was a failure].

Her latest CD has won three awards. [prizes/honours, e.g. “Best CD of the Year]

Anthony O'Donnell won the award for “Best up-and-coming actor” of 2001. [likely to become very famous or successful]

The critics generally agree that her new symphony is a masterpiece. [very great work of art]

Novak was definitely miscast as the father in that film. [was the wrong person for the role]

She has become typecastas a middle-aged mother. [always associated with that type of role]

He was given several encores for his performance of the violin concerto. [calls from the audience to repeat it]

She got a standing ovation for her performance of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. [the audience stood up and applauded]

 

C. From memory, give an adjective from A which is opposite in meaning to the following words.

1 credible/believable

2 original/novel

3 underrated

4 exaggerated

5 coherent/smooth-flowing