English Restoration Theatre
Content Review
A
Charles I was removed from the throne and in 1 660, Charles I, who have been living in the France, was invited to retur from exile and rule England. Monarchy was restored and the new period was called restoration. And Charles II began to reform the theatre. The old theatre was out of date.
B
There are two important person: Thomas and William Davenant, who are the playwrights before the civil war, when many theaters were closed. In 1 656, Davenant presented the
Siege of Rhodes, whichis considered the first English Opera .
C
All the theatres were now indoor proscenium- arch buildings. Stages were divided into two distinct halves. the apron-the forestage in front of the proscenium, and the backstage. The
proscenium doors were used for entrances and exists. Musicians played in the room above. The shutters would be opened and closed when the scenes changed.
C
At that time, many female actors began to perform in the theatre. Although they were not trained, they were good at acting. Nell Gwynn was the first celebrity actor.
E
Another revolution happened in the playhouse and their audience. Audience were quite spirited in their behaviour during performances. They will spoke to the actors, arranged
assignations with each other and attended the theatre to be seen rather than to see the play.
F
The play also changed a lot At that time, the most popular play was those have the characteristics of that period. Aphra Behn was one of the first English women to eam her
living by her writing, she broke cultural barriers and served as a literary role model for later generations of women authors.
G
At that time, tragedy was also very popular. There was a famous performer names Thomas Betterton, who was noted for his dazzling characterizations of Shakespeare's
tragic heroes.
Questions & Answers
Questions 14-20 List of heading
14. ParagraphA- new beginning of monarchy and theatre
15. Paragraph B _links with old times
16. Paragraph C- - the change of layout in actor areas
17. Paragraph D---female performers
18. Paragraph E- _the change of theatre and audience
19. Paragraph F- _the most typical style in that period
20. Paragraph G-- comedy is not the only type of play
Questions 21-23 matching
21. the first female playwight.-- Aphra Behn (F段)
22. write the first English opera- -William Davenant(B段)
23. acted in tragedy- -Thomas Betterton (G段)
Questions 24-26 sentence completion
(答案在C段关于theatre. architecture 的部分)
24. The front of the stage was calld apron
25. During the play, musician were in the room above the proscenium- arch.
26. The shutters would be moved when a new scene began.