The theatre

Britain has a long tradition of drama. British theatre began in the thirteenth century, before the time of Shakespeare, with a series of short stories from the Bible called the Mystery Plays. Ordinary people still perform these plays every four years in York and Chester.

Acting, both by amateurs and professionals, is still very much alive in Britain. British professional actors are usually highly respected and well-trained. Some actors start their careers in the British theatre and then go to work in British and American films.

The most famous British theatres are the National Theatre and the Barbican. The Royal Shakespeare Company performs at the Barbican in London and in Stratford-on-Avon, where Shakespeare was born. In spite of the money, many theatres receive from the government, they find it difficult to survive.

There are many smaller theatre groups in Britain. Some of them receive government money to perform plays which are contemporary and experimental. Commercial theatres do not receive any money from the Government. They usually perform very popular plays. If a play is successful, the company will perform it for many years.

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain; Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 47