Classical Plays and Operas

PBS oftentimes shows "Great Performances," a series of filmed classic plays. The above production is of Hamlet, with David Tennent as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart of Claudius. The director staged the famous Shakespearean tragedy in modern times, and the run-time is 4.5 hours!
I know that watching Shakespeare for 4 and a half hours may seem daunting, but I guarantee it's worth it! When I was in acting school, I learned that if Shakespeare is done correctly, the audience will understand everything that is going on - even with the Elizabethan speech!
One year, I took my father to see Henry IV parts I and II at Lincoln Center, starring Kevin Klein and Ethan Hawke. My father had never seen a Shakespearean play before, and was very nervous that he wouldn't understand what was going on. During the first intermission, my father turned to me and said, "Wow, Amy, you were right! I am understanding everything that is going on!" He was so impressed at himself and at the performance, that the next year, he took me to the opera to see if the same concept held true. It did!
Watching classical theatre is very important to learning about culture and history. Seeing a Shakespeare play, or seeing the opera can be a cultural experience that will be incorporated into your life forever!
And now, one can watch Shakespeare and the opera anytime! With websites like Netflix.com, you can order many Shakespearean dramas and operas to come to your house, or you can watch them online. Also, in July, many movie theaters are running an Opera series, where they will be showing 2 operas per week for the whole month!
Channels like PBS and the Voom network Gallery HD often show great plays and operas during the weekend.
I highly recommend you check out the Great Performances production of Hamlet next time it's on the air.
Enjoy the show!!!


Vocabulary Words
Classic (adj) - not modern, older, from the past
Elizabethan (noun) - a period of time when Queen Elizabeth was in power in England (1558 - 1603)
Shakespeare (noun) - an English poet and playwright who is considered one of the greatest authors of all time
Opera (noun) - an art-form where the play is completely sung and composed
Intermission (noun) - a period of time between two acts of a play, where the audience can take a break, get a drink, go to the bathroom, and talk to other audience members
Culture (noun) - development or improvement of the mind by education or training; or excellent art that influences society


Fill in the Blanks!
1. One of the most famous playwrights of all time is ___________________.
2. Shakespeare, the playwright, was alive during the __________________ era.
3. I went to go see The Marriage of Figaro last week, the famous Italian ___________________.
4. Its important to see opera and plays to learn about ___________________.
5. During the ________________ of the play, I went to get a drink of water.
6. Picasso is a modern artist, whereas Monet is a __________________ artist.


Grammar Point
When talking about plays and books, we talk about them in the present tense, as though it is still happening as we read/watch. But when talking about when Shakespeare wrote his plays, we need to talk about it in the past tense, as it happened hundreds of years ago. I know that it may be tricky to differentiate when to use the past and present tense when talking about written works, but its important to separate the author from the plot.


Now you try!
Have you ever seen a play or an opera? If you have, write a review. If you have not, make sure you check out a play or an opera on TV, and write a review about that!