The People's Theatre
| a prestigious | e tribute | i packed | m costume | q Merry |
| b stage | f first | j Proposal | n Soldier | r further |
| c standards | g from all walks of life | k front-of-house | o auditorium | s royalty fees |
| d première | h playwright | l pioneering | p translation | t run |
Can you read the information below about the People's Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne and put the correct words from above into the gaps in the text?
Part 1
The great actor Sir Laurence Olivier described the People's Theatre Arts Group as 'this remarkable enterprise', while the playwright George Bernard Shaw declared, 'I like this People's Theatre'.
The People's is a theatre company set up in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1911 and ................... 1 entirely by amateurs with high aspirations who take great pride in working to professional ................... 2. Every show is produced entirely by the theatre's members - on stage, backstage and ................... 3 - and this means people ................... 4 can enjoy the experience of participating in any aspect of theatre from ................... 5 design to publicity. They ................... 6 up to 12 productions a year in their 500-seat main ................... 7 and a ............... 8 3 productions in a 90-seat studio.
Among their many achievements the People's Theatre introduced Newcastle to Chekhov's plays 'The Bear' and 'The ................ 9' in 1916 and performed the ................... 10 of many productions of Shakespeare plays in 1922, with 'The ................... 11 Wives of Windsor'. The ................... 12 of Stravinsky's "The Tale of a ................... 13" was performed in 1926. In 1921 George Bernard Shaw visited the theatre, and encouraged the venture by offering the company a percentage of his ................... 14, a generous gesture. In 1976 the poet and ................... 15 Tony Harrison* granted the People's Theatre the first amateur rights to perform his ................... 16 and adaptation of Molière's 'Misanthrope' in England since its professional première at the National Theatre in London, one of Britain's most ................... 17 professional theatres. One reviewer at the time wrote of this production: " It was a ................... 18 work ...... and a splendid ................... 19 to the People's Theatre that their talents were always neck and neck with their subject. It deserves ................... 20 houses."
Part 2
| a half-hour | d repertoire | g 18-month run | j snatches | m went on |
| b West End | e echoing | h joins in | k stage team | n proved |
| c a brainwave | f rightly so | i straight | l boos | o catchy |
The range of productions at the People's remains extremely varied, from the usual classic international ................... 21 of comedies and tragedies up to the most avant-garde of plays, but 'The World of Sweeney Todd' made People's Theatre history for another reason, as a Northern Echo critic pointed out: "For a company that is famed, and ................... 22, for the quality of its ................... 23 acting, this musical was a revelation. It ................... 24, if proof were needed, that that there can be few amateur groups in the country with such a wealth and variety of talent at its disposal."
................... 25 Sir Laurence Olivier's earlier description of the People's, a review of 'The World of Sweeney Todd', put on at the People's in 1962, describes it as a 'remarkable enterprise' and 'a most unusual venture'.
"...It was ................... 26 to turn the whole thing into a musical, for it is a riotous success. Peter Stattersfield's tunes ............. are as ................... 27 as they come'. (*Northern Echo 28 May 1962.) The Newcastle Chronicle said, "With a little more money in the coffers this show could walk straight into London's ................... 28 for an ................... 29."
The musical even made news in The Guardian (6.6.1962): "The audience hisses, ................... boos 30l and shouts when Todd slithers on to the stage, it ................... 31 the choruses and - something I have rarely heard after big popular musicals - it is still humming ................... 32 of the tunes along Scotswood Road afterwards. The critic David Bean called Peter Stattersfield "Rye Hill's answer to Lionel Bart"**. Praise indeed! The composer and the producer Bill Scott subsequently interviewed on television, and a ................... 33 version for radio was recorded by the BBC.
Peter Stattersfield ................... 34 to compose for other musicals such as 'No Women Mr Shakespeare', 'The Time Steppers', 'Aladdin', and 'Ernest', a musical version of Noel Coward's play 'The Importance of being Ernest'. Many members of the original ................... 35 for 'Sweeney Todd' were involved in these other productions.
Note ** Rye Hill is an area in Newcastle near the Central Station where the People's was based for some years.
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