Theatres Text A
Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl
Location Located on the seafront of Rhyl, the Pavilion Theatre is managed by Denbighshire County Council. The 1,031 seat theatre was designed to accommodate a variety of productions from all genres. The Pavilion has 20 permanent and 18 casual members of staff, and a core team of some 25 volunteers.
Programming The Pavilion programmes a broad range of activities – recent productions have included Mrs Brown’s Boys, Chicago, Little Mix, Olly Murs and John Bishop to name but a few. Besides large scale productions, the Pavilion Theatre is committed to facilitating theatre and dance in the community as well as school productions. The Pavilion Theatre’s mission statement reads, “The Pavilion Theatre believes that the arts are for everyone to experience and enjoy, and will positively encourage access to those experiences for all members of the community within the allocated budget”.
A Brief Contextual History The current Pavilion Theatre is in fact the third Pavilion in Rhyl. The first Pavilion was sited at the promenade end of Rhyl Pier and seated over 3,000. Built in 1891, it was destroyed by fire in 1901. The second Pavilion was built in 1908 at a cost of £16,500 and seated just over 1,000. It did a great service to Rhyl in playing host to international artists, and presenting a vast number of productions and significant community events. When, in 1974, the Pavilion was demolished it was compared by everyone in the town to “losing a dear friend”. The current Pavilion was opened in 1991 and fulfilled a commitment made by the then Borough Council seventeen years earlier.
Source
http://www.rhylpavilion.co.uk/ [Accessed 24 May 2015] © Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl Text B
GLOBE THEATRE FACTS
▶︎ Trivia Fact 1 – Theatrical performances proved to be so popular that in 1591 the growing popularity of theatres led to a law closing all theatres on Thursdays so that the bull and bear baiting industries would not be neglected.
▶︎ Trivia Fact 2 – The Globe Theatre was also used for gambling and for immoral purposes.
▶︎ Trivia Fact 3 – Outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague were so serious that the Globe Theatre was forced to close. The outbreaks and closures occurred in 1593, 1603 and 1608. In 1563, in London alone, over 20,000 people died of the deadly Bubonic Plague.
▶︎ Trivia Fact 4 – William Shakespeare and his company built two Globe Theatres – on 29 June 1613 there was a fire at the original Globe and the theatre burnt to the ground within two hours. A new Globe was quickly rebuilt in 1614.
▶︎ Trivia Fact 5 – No women were allowed to work as actors – female roles were taken by young lads who wore women’s clothes and elaborate make-up. The lead content in the white make-up led to many early deaths of the boy actors.
▶︎ Trivia Fact 6 – Different coloured flags were used to advertise the themes of plays which were to be performed at the Globe Theatre. A black flag indicated a tragedy, a white flag indicated a comedy and a red flag indicated a history.
▶︎ Trivia Fact 7 – The Globe Theatre was demolished by the Puritans. On 15 April 1644 landowner Sir Matthew Brend demolished the playhouse and built tenement houses on the site.
Source
http://www.bardstage.org/globe-theatre-facts.htm [Accessed 24 May 2015]
ⓒ Alchin, L.K. Globe Theatre www.bardstage.org Retrieved 24 May 2015 from
Image: cc Folger Shakespeare Library (author: C. Walter Hodges) Reading
Read Text A and answer the following questions.
1. How many people was the first Pavilion able to provide seats for?
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This question tests your ability to retrieve information from the text.
2. How many members of staff work at the theatre?
a. 20 b. 18 c. 25 d. 38
This question tests your ability to retrieve information from the text.
3. It is stated that ‘When, in 1974, the Pavilion was demolished it was compared by everyone in the town to “losing a dear friend”.’
What does this suggest to you about the Pavilion at the time and its involvement in the community?
This type of question asks you to provide a clear explanation of your understanding of a sentence from the text.
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______Read Text B and answer the following questions.
4. When was the new Globe rebuilt?
a. 1591 b. 1614 c. 1563 d. 1613
This question tests your ability to retrieve information from the text.
5. Is the following statement true or false?
True False The theatre was not a popular place therefore they had to close every Thursday as business was slow.
This question tests your ability to retrieve information from the text.
6. What do we learn about the use of the Globe Theatre and about acting at that time?
This is a summarising question. You must select information from the text and convey it in your own words.
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Oracy
7. Group discussion
The Pavilion Theatre mission statement reads, “The Pavilion Theatre believes that the arts are for everyone to experience and enjoy…”. Discuss to what extent you agree with this statement and whether the theatre is attractive/contemporary/relevant for young people these days. (Various leaflets and brochures of theatres would be beneficial to aid discussion.) Group size: 3-4 Time: 15-20 minutes Decide on ‘success criteria’ for group work.
Writing
8. Write a review of a play, musical or film you have watched. Write 500-600 words.
Plan carefully before writing.
9. The headmaster is planning on taking the drama subject and the arts off the school curriculum next year so that pupils will only focus on literacy, numeracy and the sciences.
Write a letter to the headmaster expressing your opinion on this matter and discuss the benefits of the arts within education. Write 500-600 words.
Plan carefully before writing and discuss advantages and disadvantages.