Theater vs. Theatre

York99 · Post by **York99** » October 16th, 2006, 4:01 pm

This has been bothering me. Arthur says that 'theater' is the actual venue, while "theatre" is the art form. The dictionaries that I have referenced use them interchangibly.

Does anyone know the answer? A source citation would be good here, as well, to satisfy my curiosity.

"The world will never truly be free until nerd persecution ends."
-"Revenge of the Nerds"

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » October 16th, 2006, 4:15 pm

I've always followed Arthur's convention, as well.

The truth appears to be a little more hairy, but since lots of people follow that rule, I'd say you can't go wrong with it. Here's a pretty good blurb:

"1.3 What is the correct spelling of theatre/theater? [AW/ELN]

[AW]: Francis Hodge published an article about this in THEATRE SURVEY in the late 1960â€™s. â€œTheaterâ€

Mo Daviau · Post by **Mo Daviau** » October 16th, 2006, 4:15 pm

They're both the physical space and the art form. Theater is the American spelling, theatre is the UK/ANZ/Canadian spelling (like color/colour and center/centre). A lot of arty-farty Americans (like myself) use THEATRE. But either is correct. Just don't say The-AY-ter.

Dictionaries like Merriam-Webster allow users to use the two interchangeably based on their system of citational evidence. If a word's spelling is used in print for many years, and their editors track it, eventually the mob rules and a spelling becomes official. So yes, you can use them interchangeably for this reason.

I used to be an editor at Merriam-Webster, so I got to spend my afternoons reading magazines on the job trying to find new senses of the F word. I'm not kidding.

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » October 16th, 2006, 4:15 pm

The distinction is merely colloquial and stylistic.

True, some groups make that distinction, but linguistically there is nothing inherent to the words in that one only means the building and one only means the artform or performance group. The words are fairly interchangeable.

At it's heart it is a simple matter of Queen's vs. American English. They say 'flavour, grey, analyze, fulfil, catalogue, plough, and theatre' and we say 'flavor, gray, analyse, fulfill, catalog, plow, and theater.'
They do the same thing with words like "centre" and "metre".

Since we think British spellings are somehow higher class, people often use the "-re" spelling when referring to the "art" of the theatre. Or, in even better taste "Ye Olde Theatre".

beardedlamb · Post by **beardedlamb** » October 16th, 2006, 10:39 pm

i equate it with people saying 'skits' when they're talking about sketches. you can get a sense of their style and experience based on whether they use RE or ER. of course, i have noticed many examples of this being disproved.
does that help?

York99 · Post by **York99** » October 17th, 2006, 1:15 am

Which is skits and which is sketches?

ColdTowne TheatER coming soon!!

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » October 31st, 2006, 9:37 am

i'm glad i read this. it has always bothered me... thanks for the education!
i'm also soooo gald it's ColdTowne Theater - cuz in my mind
the 'theatre' - is less tangible. i have tried to equate the spelling â€˜ theatre' with prestigious-ness but to me, it just feels snobby. And the painted letters coldtowne theater in red on the wall in the theater look really awesome and cool in the theater! bla bla bla, bla bla bla bla theater bla bla theater : )

seanhill · Post by **seanhill** » February 3rd, 2007, 7:38 pm

Version 1
The Hideout Theatre is re cause Keith Johnstone is from England and he is the source of the inspiration to create the Hideout here in Austin.

Version 2
Somebody made a typo when we started the theater.

shksprtx · Post by **shksprtx** » February 4th, 2007, 7:53 pm

Although I am well aware of the English/American origin for the difference in spellings, I still prefer myself to use "Theater" to refer to the building and "Theatre" for the art form.

I think it helps eliminate some minor confusion when both the physical space and the art form are being referenced (in an academic paper, for instance), and I usually encourage my students to use the words in that way.

However, the use of the "-re" spelling for the Hideout Theatre is certainly a legitimate one for any number of reasons...