Two Full Weeks, Too Full to Post Before Now

I’ve been putting off writing this for two weeks now, all because I can’t come up with a clever framing device for it. I had hoped to turn this blog from “quick updates from my life abroad” into “something that’s actually interesting to read.” Alas, it is not to be thus. I think the best way of framing this would be to give a quick picture of what is happening as I write this: I’m in my flat with two of my flatmates, having a Disney sing-a-long and sonnet rehearsal party while drinking tea. This pretty much encapsulates what I’m doing here…theatre and its trappings and attitudes imbue every moment, and everyone else knows all the words to The Little Mermaid too.
Living in London is unlike anything that I have ever done before – my black peacoat and brisk walk are certainly coming in handy. In just two weeks I’ve achieved a few miracles, like conquering both the bus and tube systems, figuring out my mystery phone, mastering the art of not making eye contact with strangers, and learning to look the opposite direction when crossing the street. I’ve also managed some cooking: copious amounts of pasta, chicken, and mashed potatoes. Very impressive. I feel very citified indeed.
My flat is in a cool Arabic neighborhood between Hyde Park and Oxford Street. I live with three other girls in a flat just big enough for us, about a forty minute walk from our school, which just beyond Regent’s Park. The walk is really pretty, but I’m not looking forward to the rainy winter…
At school I’m enrolled in quite the roster of classes: Shakespeare, High Comedy, Stage Fighting, Theatre History, Dramatic Criticism, Voice, Movement, Modern Physical, and biweekly Tutorials. The way BADA approaches the study and practice of theatre is quite different from what I’m used to at Swarthmore, but ultimately that is what I’m here for; I’m looking forward to discovering a new way of approaching theatre through being here. It does seem that I’ve studied all this in a slightly backwards way, learning about somewhat modern and experimental theatre at college before examining a more classical style of learning and performing. It will take some getting used to, since I’ll have to either change my way of thinking or find a way to reconcile my training with this style, but the longer I’m here the more I get used to the school’s method. It’s actually really nice to be asked to change, since it’s so easy to fall into a routine if you don’t change up the people, place, and methods that you work with.
Quick overview of what I’m actually doing in these classes:
-Shakespeare: We started off with sonnets as a very simple way of beginning to tackle Shakespeare. Tomorrow we’ll be assigned scenes for scene study.
-High Comedy: We’ve spent these two weeks addressing how the characters in high comedy differ from your average character, in terms of their stance, speech, and perception of self and others. For the next six weeks we’ll be working on John Vanbrugh’s The Relapse, a Restoration era comedy. We cast the show today, and I’m playing Hoyden, a young woman of the country gentry who is desperate to be married, get out of the country, and experience the world. It should be fun to experiment with a comedic role….and get to play with a fan!
-Theatre History and Dramatic Criticism: These are two of my more “academic” classes, and naturally I absolutely love them. I will tell you all a secret now: all I want from life is to grow up to be Chris, who is the professor for both these classes (and yes, I know I’ve said that about a lot of people, but I so mean it this time). He knows everything about theatre, always knows and supports his opinions, and matches his shirts to his shoes. The syllabus for Theatre History is fascinating – so far we’ve taken on Doctor Faustus and The Duchess of Malfi, and next week we’ll be looking at ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore. I’m happy to be looking at an era of theatre that I know so little about. Dramatic Criticism, on the other hand, is great because of how incensed everyone gets about things like what Brechtian alienation really means and whether or not the lighting design supported the intent of a particular production. Clearly, my kind of class.
-Stage Fighting: Taught by a tall British man dressed in all black who really loves to play the villain, this class is always an adventure. So far we’ve learned the shared energy push and pull, the reserve energy strangle and several ways to break it, slapping done upstage/downstage or parallel to the audience, and two different punches.
- Modern Physical: After spending all of last week playing games, I was entirely unsure where this class would lead and whether we would ever get beyond the basics of ensemble building. But this week we’ve starting working with the chorus and levels of tension and it has been really interesting. The class is still a bit of a mystery to me, but I’m looking forward to seeing where goes.
-Tutorials: We’re lucky enough to get half an hour every other week working one on one with a professor on anything we want. My first tutorial is tomorrow, and I think I’m going to look at a Portia monologue from Julius Caesar and one from Bobrauschenbergamerica. I’m hoping to use my tutorials to find some great pieces for auditions in the future.

Outside of school, I’ve also been able to see some incredible shows. In conjunction with Dramatic Criticism I’ve seen Lolita at the National Theatre (featuring Brian Cox who will teach a master class for us tomorrow), Troilus and Cressida at the Globe (an incredible experience which I may write up later), and Mother Courage at the National Theatre (which I also may write up if I ever get round to it). Besides this, some friends and I managed to see Peter Pan at Kensington Gardens, which was sort of like going to the circus (i.e. you don’t go for good acting or directing, you go for spectacle. And the spectacle was great!), and Arcadia at the Duke of York’s Theatre. Arcadia was one of the best shows that I have seen in a while, and we were incredibly lucky to get tickets, even if they were standing room only. I saw it last Saturday on its closing night, and being among the audience of one of the most lauded productions of the season on its closing night is a phenomenal experience. The energy in the room from both the audience and the performers was amazing, as was the set, the lighting, the acting…pretty much everything about the show. Besides, Tom Stoppard’s son played Valentine (absolutely my favorite role), which was very cool on a “famous people” level. But the entire cast was phenomenal, and I am so grateful to have gotten the second to last ticket sold.
All in all, I can say confidently that I am having a great time in London. It is wonderful to have theatre be such a big part of my daily life. The more time I spend doing this, the more I think there’s nothing I’d rather do. But in the mean time, I’ll just enjoy the time I have here and sing some more Disney songs with my flatmates.