Theater vs. Theatre- Page 4

[The Stars R Aligned]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:14pm

i use theater only when im talking about movie theaters (cinema's)
broadway or stadge is always theatre for me

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:37pm

Johnboy...Dover doesn't mean making up definitions, but only following certain ones, since the Enlish language sees fit to have multiple dictionaries.

[BrunetteBombshell]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:46pm

I spell theatre "theatre" all the time. Whether I'm talking about cinemas or Broadway theatres.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:01pm

But why? That's the question I have. Not if you spell it theatre; but why? It's not a big deal, obviously, but I wonder why this has become some sort of trend; and this crazy theory of the word having different meanings, depending on its spelling, is all so strange and interesting to me. And, just a little bit funny; and, a whole lot pretentious!

Updated On: 10/8/06 at 11:01 PM

[alterego]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:20pm

Only in America is it spelt 'Theater'. I always looked at it as being a sort of dumbing down of the English language. As I said only in America will you see it spelt thus. So for me it is always 'Theatre'.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:23pm

But there are lots of words that are spelled differently in America. Do you spell all those words with the British spelling?

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:30pm

No, I don't because I'm in school right now and teachers have a fit with British spelling, which I intend to use after school.

And I'm going to say the same thing, again, it's NOT being pretentious, it's a preference...it's just a way for me to distinguish the stage in my writing.

Updated On: 10/8/06 at 11:30 PM

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:40pm

Words like Theatre, colour, glamour, and catalogue are all spellings that I was taught to use and that just feel right for me, whereas realise does not feel like me. I will never write catalog. I would not be comfortable writing anything formal using that spelling as it just FEELS more casual to me. And regardless of what your dictionary will tell you, every little bit of every word means something. Visually words have a different affect, just as they do depending on pronunciation, and syntax. In writing, everything is (or should be) a deliberate choice, and a specific one. Every detail counts. I am a word-freak, and a poet, and every one of my choices makes an impact on my writing. It has nothing to do with pretentiousness.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:41pm

Okay. At least that's an explanation. It's still odd to me. But this idea of dumbing-down, is absurd. These spellings have been around since the early 1800's; and, the fact is that England simplified the language, not Americans. American English is far more proper, and from the original source (Germanic), which the English eliminated. For example, we still use have gotten, whereas, the English use the more simplified (or dumbed-down if you prefer), have got. But, it wasn't Americans who changed that, it was the English. Many other changes, as well. Webster made the spelling changes, because they reflected our pronounciation of those letters - theater, is pronounced the way it is spelled; theatre, is not.

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:46pm

I embrace any and all forms of English because they allow me to diversify my speech and my writing. The more you know, the more you can express. To use your example, in everyday speech, I often say "Have got", especially among friends, whereas in any formal writing, or with adults whom I respect, I am more inclined to use "Have gotten". I really think that it's best to understand as much as possible.

[Calvin]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:47pm

For what it's worth, the stylebook of The Associated Press, which basically dictates the style of almost every newspaper across the U.S., is to use "theater" regardless of context unless it is a part of a proper name that spells it "theatre." If you notice, even the New York Times, which has some of its own style rules that differ from AP, uses "theater."

[alterego]

Posted: 10/9/06 at 3:15am

JohnBoy2, I spell the words I use this way - theatre, colour, neighbour, centre. These are a few that spring to mind. I use spelt, never spelled and never say gotten, which is (just) an awful word, ugh.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/9/06 at 4:03pm

I've lived in the US my whole life, and I've NEVER seen "catalog" or "dialog" anywhere...is this a new thing?

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/9/06 at 4:03pm

I've lived in the US my whole life, and I've NEVER seen "catalog" or "dialog" anywhere...is this a new thing?

[Hughie]

Posted: 9/7/08 at 5:57pm

The use of the word “theatre” goes back to the turn of the 20th Century. Most of American society, particularly those who owned live theater venues, looked upon the new cinema art form as nothing more than a bawdy fad that would soon collapse under its own low-class offerings.

To make a distinction between the “legitimate stage” and the cheap mass produced moving picture productions that had everyone seemingly getting their own piece of this new-fangled pie a line was drawn.

This line divided those venues that offered specific types of entertainment. Live shows that performed on stages without screens remained “theaters” while the new form of entertainment, moving pictures, were shown on screens without a stage for live productions and were, therefore, called “theatres”.

Having this unique spelling informed the public what type of entertainment they were going to see.

Of course, the two-name distinction lost its relevance quickly once the general public began to embrace movies not as the bawdy display of yore but a medium that was growing in sophistication and class. Soon, both forms of entertainment were in the same venue. Comedy, dancing and singing acts would perform prior to the “shorts” which were followed by the “feature attraction” trailed (remember this word) by what was coming next week using snippets from that feature film that, in industry slang, became known as “trailers”.

Today, the line has faded away with history. The only people who are conscious of the distinction are motion picture exhibitors, who name their companies, and companies that own venues strictly for live performances. Take a look at the entertainment section of your newspaper and you’ll probably see the two words used loosely all over the page.

So, no actual claim can be made by anyone, purist or not, that by using one word or the other has its proper usage. Rather, the distinction is one of tradition only.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 9/7/08 at 6:03pm

I use "theatre" for the art form itself, and I use "Theater" for the building.
Updated On: 9/7/08 at 06:03 PM

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 9/7/08 at 6:08pm

THEATRE

[jordangirl]

Posted: 9/7/08 at 6:13pm

I use theatre probably because that's how I'd seen it. I guess some of the cast recordings I'd listen to were London casts or something, but I remember seeing theatre spelled that way in the inserts, so that's how I've always spelled it.

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 9/7/08 at 6:26pm

Wow this is an old thread. Who really cares if it's theatre or theater. They are both pronounced the same.

[NGD2225]

Posted: 9/7/08 at 6:28pm

So are know & no.

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 9/7/08 at 6:36pm

But read and read aren't.