Przeczytaj tekst. Dobierz właściwy nagłówek (A–F) do każdej części tekstu (4.1.–4.4.).
Wpisz odpowiednią literę w każdą kratkę.
Uwaga: dwa nagłówki zostały podane dodatkowo i nie pasują do żadnej części tekstu.
A. THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRONG VOICE
B. A SERIOUS DANGER TO YOUNG ACTORS
C. INTENSIVE PREPARATION FOR EVERY PLAY
D. THE MOST POPULAR ACTORS IN ELIZABETHAN TIMES
E. SEVERAL ROLES PLAYED DURING ONE PERFORMANCE
F. REASONS WHY DANCING WAS NOT ALLOWED ON STAGE
ACTORS IN ELIZABETHAN THEATRE
4.1.
Acting was not an easy profession in Elizabethan times. A theatre company often presented
a different play every day, so before each performance actors had to learn new roles. It took
them many hours because plays were very long and actors had to memorise a lot of texts from
different plays at the same time. Actors also had to constantly practise their dancing
and fighting skills.
4.2.
In the plays there was a great variety of characters but theatre companies usually hired
no more than twelve actors. In order to reduce costs an actor was expected to play a number
of parts in one play. Any actor who had short speaking parts had to run backstage, put on
a new costume and get back on stage as a different character.
4.3.
During the Elizabethan era only men were allowed to play roles in the theatre. Teenage boys
with high voices who acted as females had to put on white make-up which contained lead.
This chemical substance was not safe to use and, as a result, the boy actors had serious
trouble with their skin and sometimes even died because of health problems.
4.4.
Elizabethan theatregoers paid careful attention to what was said during a play. They wanted
to hear all the words clearly. Because there weren’t any microphones and the performances
were in the open air, the actors needed to speak loudly and clearly with good breath control.
Though the fights and dancing were very entertaining, it was the words that moved