First, I think I'll bore you with a general update on school and such : P
It's been a while since I last updated you, but it has been a busy week. I just finished my second week at BADA and classes are definitely in full swing. I had 8 plays to read last week, plus a bunch of other work for my acting and directing classes. The schedule got a little crunched and I ended up reading an average of 2 plays a day in order to get all my work done on time. Also, this Tuesday there was an epic rain storm that gave one month's worth of rain in less than 24 hours. From my window, it didn't look to bad, and rather than spend the money on a ride on the tube, I decided to walk. Bad plan. I got to school soaking wet after having walked for 45 minutes and fallen in one large puddle. I promptly got a head cold, but thankfully that didn't last too long. In my directing class, I found out that our final project is directing any scene of our choice - and the catch is - it's going to be done with professional actors! My professor, John Gorrie, is actually hiring four (hopefully friendly) actors for us to work with! How crazy is that?! Also, my acting professor, Emily Bruni, has acted with the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company - THE cultural authority on Shakespeare) and quite a bit on TV too - it's pretty awesome. My professors for Shakespeare's Tragedies/Comedies/Histories work for the RSC or in Stratford-upon-Avon as Shakespeare experts. My theatre history professor is a famous radio figure and critic here in London. Really, attending school with these sorts of people is such a treat. I am so blessed! Not to mention we get to attend master classes with very famous people - although we don't find out who they are until the week of. This week, we're working with Brian Cox, who we saw last week in Lolita. Last year, the group apparently got to work with Alan Rickman! RIDICULOUS! I simply can't wait to see what they have in store for us this year!
Whew, now that that's out of the way, here's a bit on some of my recent adventures -
Last Saturday, my flatmates and I (along with the rest of London) went to the Thames Festival (pronounced Tems Festival thankyouverymuch). This festival spans a few miles of the west bank of the Thames river and brings together the best local artists, craftsmen, performers, and chefs to provide an entire day of spectacle! And what a day for it - the sun was shining through the puffy white clouds and the Thames sparkled with the reflection of the city. We browsed in the shopping area for quite awhile, admiring the beautifully hand sewn dresses, unique jewelry, and cupcake creations. We saw what appeared to be Mickey and Minnie from a ways off, but were revealed to be abnormally tall and proportionate versions of the squat, large-headed Disneyland characters I know and love. (see picture at the end of the post!) We also took in many other street performances of the usual London sort: a powder white victorian-robot woman, two chameleons on stationary bikes, a 'blue-man group band member' with long blonde hair, and an electronic baby playing fake video games. Of the last four in that list, which was the most popular with spectators? You guessed it - the electronic baby! It was really ridiculous. We also took in the "Feast on the Bridge" where long tables with golden chairs flanked by local food vendors spanned the length of one of the bridges across the Thames and everyone just ate, drank, and talked. There was even pumpkin carving and bobbing for apples for the kids! It was great!
On Sunday, I attended Westminster Abbey's evening services. While, it wasn't a theologically deep message, the trip was incredibly spiritually renewing. I went by myself, and the quietness and contemplative trip did my soul some real good. Saint James' Park, which is next to the Abbey, is a picture of a pastoral paradise. A little cottage, surrounded by rainbow blooming flowers, sits on a lake surrounded by trees and birds - not just ducks either - there were geese, cranes, herons, pelicans, magpies, and finches. The scene was so beautiful and so enticing, but I kept on to the Abbey. I turned the corner, and this "abbey", which really should be called a cathedral, rose quickly in front of my eyes, covered in what looked like intricately embroidered stone lace. Behind the Abbey rose Big Ben - the eternal symbol of London. As the little rectory men in red capes led me inside for the services, I was truly awed by the vastness of the building. Inside was even more richly decorated than outside, but with gold inlays and candles and statues. I walked to the front of the church, where less than fifty people gathered to commune with God. As Angus said, there's nothing like an incredibly old cathedral to inspire some awe. And awe-struck I was as barely any sound left my mouth to sing the hymns and it seemed to fill the enormous space. I can't even describe the way the spirit moved in that cathedral, except to say that there was a real sense of the phrase that we often use to describe God, "The Ancient of Days". I felt the history of God there, as if his all-powerful spirit and not just thick stone fortified the walls.
Monday Night is theatre night here at BADA, and this last Monday, we attended the National Theatre's production of Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht, starring Fiona Shaw. Having never seen Shaw, an icon of theatre, I was absolutely stunned by her thrilling performance of Mother Courage. The show was performed on the largest theatre stage I have ever seen, a modified arena-thrust, and incorporated elements of music, rock shows, and even guns and fire incredibly. It was the most truly Brechtian piece I have ever seen that negotiated the theories Brecht proposed while still producing an emotionally moving piece of theatre. It was three and a half hours long, but I could have stayed for three and a half more. We were all in tears at the end, and not simply because the production was emotional, but because we were in awe of the work of art we had just witnessed.
It is unanimous, this post has now reached the "wow that was really REALLY long" status, and must be concluded.
Thanks for reading! I hope your week was as wonderful as mine ~
Lindsey
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