theatre

[Natalie Maynor]

Nancy Elliott wrote:

> If I go to a theatre, I see a live play. If I go to a theater, I see a
> movie.  As for edifices, here at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, our three
> performance buildings are spelled with the -re version, which I'm sure is
> the case at every Shakespeare/Shakespearean festival in the U.S. What about
> non-Shakespearean stage performance edifices? (Medford's got the Craterian
> Ginger Rogers Theatre, named after both Crater Lake and the star of the
> silver screen...)

Although theatre/theater doesn't show up in the name of its edifice
(which is named The Playhouse on Main), the Starkville (MS) Community
Theatre uses the re spelling in the name of the organization.  I just
checked its web page to be sure:
http://www.library.msstate.edu/sct/

Btw, would those who consider it pretentious to use the re spelling in
the US consider it pretentious to use the er spelling in England?
   --Natalie Maynor (maynor at ra.msstate.edu)