John james osborne

John James Osborne (1929-1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor and critic. The success of his play “Look Back in Anger” (1956) transformed English theatre.

He was born in London. His father was an advertising copywriter. He became involved in the theatre when he took a job tutoring a touring company of young actors and soon decided to try his hand at playwriting.

The opening night of John Osborne’s first play “Look Back in Anger” in 1956 was called as the “actual birthday of modern British theatre”. The press release for the play called the twenty-six-year-old Osborne “an angry young man”, a phrase that would become a label for a generation. The “angry young men” was a group of mostly working and middle class British playwrights and novelists who became prominent in the 1950s and rejected traditional English society.

In a productive life of more than 40 years, Osborne explored many themes and genres, writing for stage, film and TV.

Words & Expressions:

“Look Back in Anger” – «Оглянись во гневе»

a copywriter – автор текста рекламы

to try one’s hand at – попробовать свои силы

the opening night – премьера

the press release – сообщение прессы

an angry young man – рассерженный молодой человек

Bertold brecht

Bertold Brecht (1898-1956) was a great German poet and playwright. He was an innovator in drama. He is still one of the best loved playwrights since his modern form and progressive views have a great appeal to the audiences.

His epic drama gives an analysis of society. He looked upon his art as a force making people think and act for a better life. In his plays the scenery is changed in front of the audiences. The play could be broken into scenes whose subjects are announced in advance on placards or by projection of slides. Songs are used in order to break the continuity of action. The actors address the spectators directly. All these innovations helped Brecht to widen the expressive possibilities of the theatre.

Brecht’s heritage is 18 plays, 3 operas, 5 collections of poems and a number of essays on the theatre. Among his best plays which have been staged are “The Threepenny Opera”, “Mother Courage”, “Galileo”.

Words & Expressions:

appeal – призыв, обращение

heritage – наследие

“The Threepenny Opera” – «Трехгрошовая опера»

“Mother Courage” – «Мамаша Кураж»

Anton chekhov

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), 19th century Russian author, short story writer and playwright, was one of the most popular great Russian writers. His plays are known for their realistic examination of the lives of ordinary Russians. His most famous plays include:“Uncle Vanya”, “The Seagull”, “The Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard”. His plays have secured him a place among the greatest dramatists of all time.

According to J. B. Priestley, a popular English writer, dramatist and critic, Chekhov has enriched modern drama as nobody else. Chekhov’s first literary works – short stories and one-act masterpieces including “The Bear” (1888) and “Wedding” (1889) – made him popular. His popularity grew more and more from one masterpiece to another. At last he was ready for the Theatre and the Moscow Art Theatre opened just in time, which made him still more famous.

In 1899, Chekhov gave the Moscow Art Theatre a revised version of “Uncle Vanya” (1899). Along with “The Three Sisters” (1901) and “The Cherry Orchard” (1904), this play would go on to become one of the masterpieces of the modern theatre. However, although the Moscow Art Theatre productions brought Chekhov great fame, he was never quite happy with the style that the director Konstantin Stanislavsky imposed on the plays. While Chekhov insisted that his plays were comedies, Stanislavsky's productions tended to emphasize their tragic elements. Still, in spite of their stylistic disagreements, these productions brought widespread acclaim to both Chekhov's work and the Moscow Art Theatre itself.

Words & Expressions:

to enrich – обогащать

popularity – популярность

a revised version – исправленная версия

widespread acclaim – широкое признание

Questions:

1. What are Chekhov’s plays known for?

2. What plays have secured him a place among the greatest dramatists?

3. What were Chekhov’s first literary works?

4. What theatre did Chekhov work with?

5. What Chekhov’s plays have you seen on the stage?