Situation
A fourth-year student Nick Petrov and a second-year student Ann Semenova are going to get married. They both study at the English faculty and live away from home in the Halls of Residence. Their wedding is scheduled for Sunday and their parents are arriving in Moscow on Saturday. Meanwhile Nick and Ann are trying to decide how to celebrate the occasion. Ann wants it to be a "wedding to remember" and is determined to spend a lot of money on clothes, flowers, guests. Nick tries to keep her from making such a fuss and urges her to go to St. Petersburg all the more so as Ann has never been there. Ann's roommate Helen who is also present takes Ann's side as she enjoys parties too. Suddenly the door opens and two people emerge. One of them is Irene Nosova, a friend of
theirs, who is a member of the English speaking club. She has brought along with her Tom/Dorothy Walter, who is an English student on an exchange visit to Moscow. He/she wants to interview Nick and Ann and later write an article on Russian students'marriage. Soon everybody is absorbed in the conversation, and the students do not only answer Tom’s/Dorothy's numerous questions but also help Nick and Ann to decide how to arrange a wedding reception.
Cast list
Nick Petrov, a student Ann Semenova, a student Irene Nosova, a student, a member of the ESC Tom/Dorothy Walter, an English student Helen Bobrova, a student, Ann's roommate
What you must decide
Should Nick and Ann have a lavish wedding reception or make it a more modest affair and spend the money otherwise?
Role cards
Nick Petrov Aged 22 You are an out-of-door type of young man and think that the only thing worth spending money on is travelling. You find Ann very fussy about clothes, restaurant, guests. You love Ann very much but you want to be firm and persuade her to go to St. Petersburg. It's your birthplace and you can show her a lot in this beautiful city, or can just as well get a package tour.
Ann Semenova Aged 20 You love Nick very much and think you are lucky to have such a husband. But you are the sort of girl who likes to keep up with the Joneses1. Your mother promised to foot the bill, that's why you think nothing of spending a lot of money. You are so excited that you can hardly listen to what Nick is suggesting. But finally the idea of spending a month in St. Petersburg together with Nick seems romantic to you.
__________
1стараться жить не хуже других
Tom/Dorothy Walter Aged 22 You are an English student and it's your first year in Russia. You are enjoying your stay in Moscow and are interested in learning more about the Russian people and their way of life. You can hardly wait to see the wedding and the reception as you have heard a lot about Russian parties. You ask all sorts of questions concerning the conditions of life of newly-wed couples. (How they budget, where they live, how they manage their studies.)
Irene Nosova Aged 22 You are a student and have been married for 2 years already. You remember your wedding very well. You and your husband were very short of money and there was no money coming from home at that time. All the students gathered in the dining-room to congratulate you and when the party was coming to its close they gave you two tickets to Tallinn as a present. How einjoyable your trip was! What you don't understand is why Ann is going to invite so many people she and Nick hardly know at all.
Helen Bobrova Aged 18 You are Ann's roommate and a friend of hers but you are a poor mixer and have no boy-friend. You look forward to the wedding reception no matter where it is going to be held, as you are sure there will be lots of young boys there and who knows... As for the money problems you suggest a simple way out — a party in the Halls of Residence.
Possible follow-ups
1. What is your attitude towards a lavish wedding reception? 2. Write a letter which Ann might have sent to her friend Mary. 3. Should household chores be shared and to what extent? 4. Prepare a talk: "The pros and cons of living together with parents".
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