el_flaco (
Languages)
Hey, sorry for the delay, just been incredibly busy. Anyways, here's the next essay. Enjoy :)
One of the most famous streets in the world, Broadway, is also the longest. It extends from the end of Manhattan Island in New York City, north for 240 kilometers. It ends in Albany, the capital of New York State.
Broadway, however, is famous, not for its length, but for a part of it less than one kilometer long. That part, called "The Great White Way" is where the big theaters of New York City are found. During the day, that part of Broadway around Times Square at 42nd Street may seem much like the rest of New York City-busy, noisy, crowded. But at night it is very different.
It is easy to understand why it was named the Great White Way. Huge electric signs on the tall buildings are so bright they make night seem almost as bright as day. The signs flash their messages in many colors. But in earlier times the lights were all white. Thus the name, the "Great White Way."
The word "Broadway," has come to mean more than just die street and more than just an area of theaters. People use it when they speak of the best of American theater art. The sign of real success for an actor is to have his name appear in the lights of a Broadway theater sign.
The theater has given us many other expressions. One of them is "in the limelight." It means to be in the public eye, to be famous. The expression comes from the early days of the theater, before electricity. A bright light was made by burning hydrogen and oxygen gases in a container made of calcium oxide or lime. This strong, bright light was aimed at the actor or actress who was speaking. They performed "in the limelight." The spotlight still shines on actors and actresses today, but it is electric light, not limelight.
You do not have to be an actor or actress to be in the spotlight today. The expression "in the spotlight" may have nothing to do with the theater. You are said to be "in the spotlight" when your name is in the news, or when people are talking about you. You may enjoy having the spotlight on you if you have done something good. But a person may hate being in the spotlight if he is trying to hide something.
Another theater expression that is used in everyday speech _ is to "wing it." You wing it when you are not prepared for what you must do.
An actor wings it when he goes on stage without knowing the lines he must speak. He depends on people standing unseen at the sides of the stage to tell him quietly what he should say. In the theater, the sides of the stage that are hidden from the audience are called the wings.
Thus, the unprepared actor needs help from people in the wings when he is "winging it." Now, anyone who tries to do something he is not prepared for is said to be "winging it." The person who "wings it" hopes that no one will see he was not ready.
(c) VoA
strange_day (
Languages)
: Just nine months ago I was a struggling art student. 
el_flaco (
