stock company
- noun
- /stɑk ˈkʌmpəni/
- Jargon
:
compañía de repertorio
- The stock company has a reputation for producing high-quality plays, showcasing the talents of its resident actors.
Examples
-
The local stock company performed a beloved classic every weekend, attracting audiences from all over town.
-
To Alfred Bellinger, his successor as editor of the literary magazine at Hill, he writes of how "a jovial company of us" went down to Trenton to see "Pinafore" performed by what turned out to be a terrible stock company.
Academic text (1990) -
After joining the stock company, she was excited to play the lead in their upcoming production of Shakespeare.
Synonyms
168
3.5
A group of actors, dancers, or other performers who work together
12
7.4
A theater group that performs different plays on a regular schedule
9
2.7
A group of people who put on plays for an audience
1
6.8
A group of actors who regularly perform different plays during a season
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'stock' (meaning regular/standard) plus 'company' (an organization) gives a sensible clue that this is an organization with a regular or standard repertoire, so some core meaning is inferable from the parts. However, the specialised theatrical sense (a permanent troupe that performs a set repertoire) and historical/industry nuance are not fully predictable for a B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Stock company in the theatre comes from stock, meaning a ready supply. Small theatres kept a ready set of plays and a permanent group of actors 'in stock' so they could perform many shows. That's why a stock company means a theatre group that regularly performs a set of plays with the same actors.