Stratford-on-Avon, as we all know, has only one industry—William Shakespeare—but there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches. There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (ASC), which presents superb productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come, not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace and the other sights.
The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue. They frankly dislike the RSC’s actors, them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. It’s all deliciously ironic when you consider that Shakespeare, who earns their living, was himself an actor (with a beard) and did his share of noise-making.
The tourist streams are not entirely separate. The sightseers who come by bus- and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side—don’t usually see the plays, and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford. However, the playgoers do manage a little sight-seeing along with their playgoing. It is the playgoers, the ESC contends, who bring in much of the town’s revenue because they spend the night (some of them four or five nights) pouring cash into the hotels and restaurants. The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by nightfall.
众所周之，埃文河畔斯特拉特福只有一个产业——威廉莎士比亚——但存在着两个截然不同且日益对立的分支。其中之一是皇家莎士比亚公司（ASC），它把一流的戏剧搬上莎士比亚纪念馆的舞台，该纪念馆就坐落在埃文河畔。与其对立的另一方是该镇的居民，他们的生活收入大都来自来此参观的游客，而这些游客却不是来看戏剧的，他们只是拜访安妮海斯威的村舍，领略莎士比亚出生地的种种风光。
这里的居民都是些大人物，他们对剧院是否增加当地财政表示怀疑。他们打心眼里不喜欢RSC的演员们，在他们眼里，留着长发和八撇胡的演员们成天趿拉着凉鞋聒噪不停。可是，养活他们的莎士比亚本人也是个留着八撇胡的演员，同样制造噪音，想到这，真是莫大的讽刺。
但游客却不是那么泾渭分明。那些乘着巴士来观光的人们会顺便参观Warwick城堡和Blenheim宫殿，他们通常不看戏剧，有些人甚至为能在斯特拉特福看到剧院而感到惊奇。可是，来看戏的人在看戏之余的确也观光。ESC争辩说，因为来看戏的人要在此过夜（有些人要在此度过四五个夜晚），这使旅馆和饭店财源滚滚，正是他们增加了城镇的财政收入。而观光的人可以走马观花得看完所有景致，晚间就出城离开了。 |
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