Theater vs. Theatre

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:44am

Is there a difference??

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:47am

Yes.

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:49am

Ummmmmm can you elaborateify?

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:51am

Theater realtes to movie theaters, etc.

Theatre relates to the stage, i.e. Broadway.

NOTE: Just know it only really matters when you are around theatre fanatics, i.e. BWW.com. The rest of the public doesn't care.

Updated On: 8/22/04 at 03:51 AM

[Winokur_fan]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:52am

Don't quote me but I think "theatre" is from England...kinda like "color" vs "colour". I could be wrong...

[J-Pill]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:53am

Priest is correct.

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:55am

Haha priest, I like the quote.

[pab]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 4:10am

The following was written by by PatrickRDorn on December 11, 2003

Theater vs. Theatre

Which is the proper spelling?

During my seven-year stint as a theater critic for the Boulder Daily Camera, there was a minor controversy about the proper way to spell “theater.” In most cases the words are interchangeable, but for the purposes of newspaper publication, the proper spelling is with an “er,” not “re”. “Theatre” is from the French, and is commonly used in England. Apparently when Daniel Webster codified American English into his now-famous dictionary, he decided to un-anglicize many words. “Honour” became “honor,” “grey” became “gray,” and “theatre” became “theater.”

Most American theater companies use the “re” ending. Sometimes you’ll see the “re” when the word refers to the art form or actual companies, but “er” when it refers to the building itself. It was pretty funny sometimes, when a theater company used the “re,” because I often ended up writing something like “Boulder’s Dinner Theatre is a great theater.” Fortunately for all of us, the word “theatrical” doesn’t become “theaterical.”

If you are writing for publication, I recommend that you use the “er” ending, and let the publisher change it if they so desire. But whichever way you go, be consistent. Otherwise the publisher will simply assume that you are a lazy proofreader.

http://myst-technology.com/mysmartchannels/public/item/17841

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 4:17am

Thanks so much! I learned 2 things from that one.
1. The proper way to say theater.
2. The gray thing--my friend recently asked me which one it was--grey or gray.

[BalletGirl85]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 5:01am

I was always told that THEATER is an art which is practiced in a THEATRE.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 9:01am

I always thought THEATRE was the Canadian way to spell the American THEATER.

[alterego]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 9:33am

The spelling of 'theatre' as 'theater' is strictly an American thing. Outside of the US it is considered similar to a dumbing down of the of the English language. So for me it is theatre!

[NYBroadwayNY]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 9:47am

There is no difference. One is not correct.
THEATER is THE accepted spelling, even when referring to Broadway *heard GASPS by some*

THEATRE is mostly only used by fanatic "theater people" who for some reason, think that THEATRE is correct.
I really think it's just an ego thing.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 10:27am

BalletGirl85: It's actually the opposite.

Ego or not, one should refer to what is put on stage as theatre unless the organization itself has chosen theater in their name.

[eyeonbroadway]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 10:34am

Hey, it just gives us another thing to be snobby about! I like to use "theatre" when referring to live performance as an art form and "theater" when referring to buildings but I have no idea who taught me that or where I got it from...

[Mike3]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 10:45am

I LOVE the fact that there are other people out there in the world that find conversations like this interesting. Thank God for the theatre!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 10:51am

Having worked "behind the scenes" of B'way for many years, I agree with NYBroadwayNY. "Theatre" is a way for people to prove that they're theater/theatre fanatics. Either one is an acceptable spelling, but "theater" is much more widely used.

[zoran912]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 10:54am

I've always used Theatre. I shudder at seeing theater.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 11:15am

I say who gives a flying f*ck?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 11:17am

Correct answer, ljay!!! Thank you!!!

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 11:33am

"er" is a building.
"re" is the idea and concept and being of theatre.
-d.b.j-

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 11:41am

Nugget, basically it's a spelling difference, between English and American-ized. Anything else that's made of it is just contrived pretentiousness.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 11:49am

I'm Canadian, so I use "theatre"; I've always found the other spelling a bit strange-looking. Besides, Daniel Webster had no authority changing the spelling of words as he saw fit, just because he was putting together a damn dictionary (a bad one at that).

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 1:10pm

I go by what I was told by a prof in grad school."It's 'theatre' unless you're referring to 'German theater'" Sounds good to me!

[BalletGirl85]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 1:18pm

I knew I was putting it backwards, ahaha. A director told me that when I was, like, eight.