Imagine500 people in a tiny，dirty，unwashed courtyard. They're shouting，swearing，drinking，eating and spitting. They've never had a bath in their lives，so you can't even imagine how they smell. They're here to watch the latest show by the popular playwright，William Shakespeare.

This is probably where the theatregoing tradition in the UK started.

From the Theatre Royal in the town of Bath to the English National Opera in London，theatres in the UK can seem very grand. But look beyond the diamonds and the gowns（长袍），and you'll discover a human heart keeping British theatre alive.

Shakespeare's plays are full of rude jokes to get people laughing，but it wasn't just Shakespeare's.

"Music halls" in the 19th and 20th centuries put on cheap，funny，popular shows with lots of songs for people to sing along to.

Villages often have drama societies，and local people put on plays as a way of relaxing after work.

There's also the traditional Christmas pantomime（童话剧），usually a version of a well-known fairy tale. A woman dressed as a man plays the hero，a man dressed as a woman plays "Widow Twankey（a mad but wise old aunt who wears far too much make-up）"，and there are always lots of rude jokes and cakes being squashed（压碎）in people's faces.

In tricky financial times，community theatre became far more fashionable than fancy，expensive theatre. In London today，you can watch plays in pubs，tunnels and outdoors—partly because it saves money，but also because the new experience is exciting. And it's a way of getting to know other people.

Let's face it—life is a theatre and everyone plays a part. So why shouldn't everyone join in with theater itself？

In other words: "All the world's a stage，/And all the men and women merely players."

Who said that？The man behind English theatre，of course—William Shakespeare.

   Letters as a way of communication have long given way to phone calls and WeChai messages.

But a TV show，Letters Alive，is helping bring this old way to keep in touch back into the present.

Letters Alive took its idea from a UK program with a similar name，Letters Live，which was first shown in 2013.Both shows feature famous actors and actresses，but there is no gossip，no eye-catching visual effects or any regular showbiz（娱乐业）activities. Instead，it's just one person walking up to a microphone and reading a letter.

But these are not just any letters. They are selected from a wide time span（时间跨度）and different subjects. There is，for example，a passionate letter that famous painter Huang Yongyu wrote to playwright Cao Yu 30 years ago to criticize his lack of creativity. There is also a heartfelt note from the Spring and Autumn Period written by two ordinary young soldiers to their elder brother to report their lives in the war z0ne，Every letter is like a small piece of history. By hearing them being read，it's as if we were sent back in time to experience a moment that we would otherwise never have had the chance to.

"Letters Live makes us pause and imagine the lives behind the letters，"UK actor Benedict Cumberbatch told The Guardian. "It allows people from all ages and all walks of life to experience a moment of time in someone else's life for a brief moment."

Compared to published texts，letters also come with a personal touch.

One example from Letters Live was a note of thanks from the mother of a dying child to J.K. Rowling，author of the Harry Potter books. It read；"Mrs Rowling，cancer threatened to take everything from my daughter，and your books turned out to be the castle we so desperately needed to hide in."

According to Guan Zhengwen，the director of Letters Alice，it is this kind of humanity behind every letter that strikes a chord（引起共鸡）with the audience. It is also what made the show a big hit in China ever since it first aired on Dec 31 on TV.

"It's a thing of the past that entertainment shows establish themselves only with pretty faces，"Guan told Sohu News. "Showbiz is starting to switch to a focus on wisdom and intelligence.”