The World of

the Theatre

A person who frequently goes to the theatre is called a theatre-goer. There are a lot of people who love and visit different kinds of theatres: drama, varity, puppet, musical theatres, opera houses and ballets.

The main part of each theatre is an auditorium, that can hold different number of seats. It has a stage - a platform on which plays are performed before an audience.

A sunken area at the front of a theatre where musicians sit is known as an orchestra pit. Front orchestra seats are called stalls or ground-floor seats. If a theatre is very big there can be orchestra stalls, center stalls and rear stalls and the pit behind them.

Some auditoriums have special compartments for a small group of spectators, which are called boxes.

The dress-circle is the first or lowest tier of seats in a theatre.

The balcony and the gallery ("gods") are situated higher.

The best seats in the theatre are in the stalls, in the dress circle, and the upper circle. Boxes, of course are the most expensive.