013 我的演员生涯

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Pleased to meet you! My name is Albert Dunbar and I am a 22-year-old

actor living and working in London, England, in 1612.

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Some women who come to see me on stage say that I am the best-

looking man in London, and I tend to agree.

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A good actor must pay attention to his appearance at all times, as well as

to his speech and body movement, in order to get the best roles.

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Of course I only appear in the most popular productions, especially the

plays written by William Shakespeare, the greatest writer in all of England.

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My career began when I was only seven years old and the church

organist in my little village heard me sing.

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He immediately told my father that I should audition for the children's

choir at the Chapel Royal to sing for Queen Elizabeth.

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Excited, my father took me to St. James' Palace to audition, and

afterward I was invited to be a member of the choir.

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It wasn't long before I was acting in plays for the queen too, since boys

with high voices are needed to play all the female roles.

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No women are allowed on stage; it just isn't done

舞台不允许女性出现，这是绝对不行的。

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I had lots of fun wearing wigs and playing different parts

戴假发、演不同的角色，让我觉得非常有趣，

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but at times there were tense moments when some of the plays

poked fun at the people in the queen's court.

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The nobility — the lords and ladies — became very

annoyed at the writers and actors.

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One time Queen Elizabeth became so angry that everyone in the

show was briefly put in jail for offending her.

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When I was 13, Queen Elizabeth died, and I soon joined an acting company

associated with the Globe Theater called the King's Men.

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The company members said they liked my pretty looks and my sweet-

sounding voice and hired me on as an apprentice.

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But most of all, they liked my ability to read since many

young boys in England cannot read or write.

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There were other boys in the company, ranging in age from 10 to 15

剧团里还有其他男孩，年龄从10岁到15岁不等，

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and the older actors taught us how to speak loudly so any

large audience would be able to hear us.

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We learned the galliard, a dance with quick steps and high jumps

and the canary, a very popular dance from Spain.

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A music teacher taught us how to play the fiddle, lute, and recorder

一位音乐老师教我们如何演奏小提琴、鲁特琴和竖笛。

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Dancing and musicianship are both skills we need for our various roles

since the audience always enjoys a lively song!

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But I must tell you, whenever I sing the sad song " Barbara

Allen," the theater flows with tears.

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All the apprentices also learned how to fight with wooden swords for the

fight scenes, which are the most exciting moments in the theater.

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I have come a long way from the choir, I can tell you!

我可以跟你说，从唱诗班走到现在，我经历了很长的路！

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As a boy player, I was given spending money, which I used to buy treats

such as oranges and gingerbread. I also bought books—I love poetry.

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However, we were fined if we were late, missed a

rehearsal, or damaged our costumes.

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Costumes are the biggest expense for a theater company since they are

basically the clothes that people wear on the very best of occasions.

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Staining a richly embroidered doublet or tearing

a velvet cape is extremely serious;

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the Globe acting company spends hundreds of pounds yearly on costumes

环球剧团每年在戏服上要花费好几百英镑。

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Since we use very little scenery, elaborate costumes are really important

由于我们很少使用布景，精美的戏服就显得尤为重要。

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When a flag flies from the roof of the theater, people know that

there will be a performance that afternoon.

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Now that I am a grown man and famous, an apprentice

helps me dress backstage.

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Of course, since my voice changed, I no longer play women's parts; now I

play the lead male roles, and I'm excellent at them.

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But even though I am a celebrity

但尽管我已经是个名人了，

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I still can't help peeking at the audience through the curtain like a

novice to see how many people have come to see our play.

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The groundlings are the poorer folk who must stand on the ground right in

front of the stage. They pay a penny to get in.

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The wealthy pay more and have seats on the upper balconies of the theater

有钱人付的钱更多，可以坐在剧院上层的包厢里。

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Vendors sell fruit and nuts, and young boys run back

and forth delivering bottles of ale.

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People converse and some play card games while

they wait for the show to begin.

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It is very noisy, but when the trumpet blasts three times, people know the

play is about to start and they quiet down expectantly.

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Today we are performing Macbeth, a play with a Scottish king, a

ghost, three witches, soldiers, and lots of blood.

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People are quite fond of it, and most actors play several parts

大家都很喜欢这出戏，而且大多数演员都一人分饰好几个角色。

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Of course I am playing the leading role of Macbeth

我当然扮演主角麦克白。

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So when I arrived at the theater this morning, I paced backstage practicing

my lines to make sure I had memorized them all.

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There is a man, called a book holder, who holds a copy of the play near

the stage so he can whisper a line if an actor forgets.

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But I like to be totally prepared, and I've never needed any prompting

但我喜欢准备得万无一失，而且我从不需要任何提示。

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This morning the stage manager had a difficult time getting the throne

in place for the actor who plays the king.

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He also had trouble making the trapdoor work perfectly

so the ghost can disappear in act 2.

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Some apprentices bustled about before the play, filling pigs' bladders

with blood so the sword-fighting scenes would look real.

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The actors hide the bladders under their arms and then break them

open when another actor pretends to stab them.

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It looks very gory when the blood spills all over the place

当血洒得满地都是时，看起来非常血腥。

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It's a great trick, and audiences love it!

这是个绝妙的把戏，观众可喜欢了！

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Actors frequently perform on other stages around London, such as the Swan

Theater, the Middle Temple Theater, and the Boar's Head Inn,

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which the owner renovated so plays could be put on there

那是店主翻修过的，好让戏剧能在那里上演。

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We also travel all over the countryside to do shows

in town squares and at local inns.

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Last year I was invited to the private estate of an earl to

provide the entertainment after supper.

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But by the time I made my entrance

但等我登场的时候，

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a few of the guests were fast asleep and snoring so loudly that no one

could hear me sing my famous version of "Barbara Allen."

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I was paid well for my appearance, but I far prefer being at the Globe

where my artistic nature is taken more seriously.

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Come see me when you are in London

来伦敦时，记得来看我。

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Everyone knows me. Just ask for the great Albert Dunbar!

人人都认识我。只要打听一下伟大的阿尔伯特·邓巴就行！