I started this last week before I left London, but homework ate my life.
Another week gone by...
...and less than one more to go. For awhile I've been saying that I really like it here, but that I'm ready to go home. However, as Saturday looms closer and my departure to Scotland approaches, I can't help but feel SO sad. I think I fell in love over here. This city is incredible, and I don't know how I'm going to leave...
With that being said, I have a whole week to catch you up on. Hopefully I'll be able to get it all down, so we'll see.
I left off at last Saturday. To tell you the truth, I don't remember what i did during the day (whihc probably means I did a lot of homework), but at night I had soooo much fun hanging out with some of my new favorite people. Our common room was full of music, laughter, and just enough amount of fun to make a night at home one of the best I've had here!
Sunday Natalie and I decided to brave Harrod's! That store is HUGE. It is full of some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. When I had to walk about without my Christian Louboutin heels, Galliano gown, La Perla lingerie, and Carier diamonds, I think I left a little of my soul there. (Just kidding!) (Well, mostly.) We decided that instead of getting a legitimate lunch, we would just head to the giant food halls for some warm pastries from their giant bakery. You know, the one past the oyster bar, the pizzeria, the gelato stand, the deli, the candy shop, the chocolate bar, you get the picture. But it's a department store!!! Out. Of. Control.
On Monday morning, our English class was reserved for those students who had not passed the GWR, which meant I didn't have to go. In addition, Josh canceled his theatre class, offering na trip to the Tate Britain Museum for anyone who wants to go. As per usual, the museum was full of amazing things, but my favorite I think would have to be the life-size airplane sculptures, one completely upside-down on its back and the other hanging by it's tail fromt he ceiling so the nose is about 18 inches off the ground. I think I'm a little bit of a Daddy's girl. (Hi Dad!) Monday night we saw Through A GLass Darkly about a woman named Karyn who descends into schizophrenia while on vacation with her brother, her husband, and her father. I had been looking forward to this play for awhile, but although every else seemed to race about it, it was definitely not my favorite. I will admit, though, that the set and the space were incredible. And it was definitely a complete loss because I got to see the King's Head Theatre, which is the pub theatre that inspired Jeff to dream up owning an establishment of the same kind in the future.
The end of my trip was amazing. I met more wonderful people, including the bartenders and owner of the pub thee Queen's Arms near our flat. I saw Legally Blonde the musical from the FRONT ROW. It was amazing. I went on an adventure with Natalie and Jill to work on a project aka a present for you Mom and Dad. If you'd like to hear more about my last two weeks, I will tell you all about it when I get back!
Monday, 26 July 2010
Friday, 23 July 2010
I stopped to smell the roses...
...and what do you know?
It's a beautiful day.
I hope yours is as beautiful as mine was.
It's a beautiful day.
I hope yours is as beautiful as mine was.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
A Week in Pictures Part 5: Oxford and Stratford-Upon-Avon
Friday of last week was a day I had been looking forward to for awhile. The program had planned a trip to one of the most academic and intellectual cities in Europe and to the birthplace of the greatest man in theatre history. Um, can anyone say right up Ashleigh's alley? So I'm a bit of a nerd. Anyway, the trip was amazing and I would love to share it with you.
We hopped on the bus at 8 a.m. to drive out of the city and into the countryside. It was really interesting to actually drive through London because I'd never seen the freeway system, etc. It took about an hour and a half or so to get to Oxford, but it was actually quite interesting because we had a tour guide who talked the whole time about EVERYTHING.
First thing we see after getting off the bus: Randolph Hotel.
A monument! Exciting!
The university is really amazing. It is 100% integrated into the town! It is scattered all the way throughout it. This is the Oxford building for graduations and other prestigious ceremonies.
Another Oxford building.
And of course, no trip would be complete without following Josh down some crazy alley way to...
the Turf Tavern. What an amazing little place. I bet you didn't know that a bajillion famous have been here, including Bill Clinton.
The bridge of Oxford, modelled after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice where prisoners walked from the court building of their trial to the prison (and which I've been twice!)
So much detail.
A statue to King James I, showcasing the different architectural orders of columns in the silent courtyard.
Wide open fields in Oxford.
Part of the Christ Church College buildings of Oxford. They filmed part of the Harry Potter movies here! Oh yeah, and it's an amazing piece of history and an incredible work of architecture, but who really cares about that? :)
A tree in the courtyard.
The steps of Hogwarts, er, Christ Church.
The Great Hall! But no Sorting Hat.
I'm just assuming this is the Gryffindor table.
Practicing my wand flick on the steps of Hogwarts.
Leaving Oxford and off to Stratford-Upon-Avon...
Self-explanatory?
Shakespeare and Anne Hathway fell in love here!
It's like a Thomas Kinkade painting. Actually, it's exactly like one.
The gardens were beautiful.
A little path...
We headed over to the main street of Stratford...
A quote on a statue of the Fool from Shakespeare's plays.
Oh hey, Shakespeare. Nice birthplace.
The house of a genius. :)
William, the ladies are calling.
A monument to Shakespeare! The statue is surrounded by smaller statues of four of his most famous characters.
Me and Falstaff: Two peas in a pod.
Hamlet, deep in contemplation.
Prince Hamlet, with the Shakes behind him.
Lady Macbeth. Out damned spot!
Then it was back to London! Natalie and I went out that night for a little while, but we didn't make it long. We were so tired we decided that our beds were a much better place for us. Time to dream of join the elite at Oxford and spending a life performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
We hopped on the bus at 8 a.m. to drive out of the city and into the countryside. It was really interesting to actually drive through London because I'd never seen the freeway system, etc. It took about an hour and a half or so to get to Oxford, but it was actually quite interesting because we had a tour guide who talked the whole time about EVERYTHING.
First thing we see after getting off the bus: Randolph Hotel.
A monument! Exciting!
The university is really amazing. It is 100% integrated into the town! It is scattered all the way throughout it. This is the Oxford building for graduations and other prestigious ceremonies.
Another Oxford building.
And of course, no trip would be complete without following Josh down some crazy alley way to...
the Turf Tavern. What an amazing little place. I bet you didn't know that a bajillion famous have been here, including Bill Clinton.
The bridge of Oxford, modelled after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice where prisoners walked from the court building of their trial to the prison (and which I've been twice!)
So much detail.
A statue to King James I, showcasing the different architectural orders of columns in the silent courtyard.
Wide open fields in Oxford.
Part of the Christ Church College buildings of Oxford. They filmed part of the Harry Potter movies here! Oh yeah, and it's an amazing piece of history and an incredible work of architecture, but who really cares about that? :)
A tree in the courtyard.
The steps of Hogwarts, er, Christ Church.
The Great Hall! But no Sorting Hat.
I'm just assuming this is the Gryffindor table.
Practicing my wand flick on the steps of Hogwarts.
Leaving Oxford and off to Stratford-Upon-Avon...
Self-explanatory?
Shakespeare and Anne Hathway fell in love here!
It's like a Thomas Kinkade painting. Actually, it's exactly like one.
The gardens were beautiful.
A little path...
We headed over to the main street of Stratford...
A quote on a statue of the Fool from Shakespeare's plays.
Oh hey, Shakespeare. Nice birthplace.
The house of a genius. :)
William, the ladies are calling.
A monument to Shakespeare! The statue is surrounded by smaller statues of four of his most famous characters.
Me and Falstaff: Two peas in a pod.
Hamlet, deep in contemplation.
Prince Hamlet, with the Shakes behind him.
Lady Macbeth. Out damned spot!
Then it was back to London! Natalie and I went out that night for a little while, but we didn't make it long. We were so tired we decided that our beds were a much better place for us. Time to dream of join the elite at Oxford and spending a life performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
Sunday, 18 July 2010
I'm. So. Tired.
I've been staring at this computer screen for hours.
It's almost 2 a.m.
My brain is fried.
Goodnight.
It's almost 2 a.m.
My brain is fried.
Goodnight.
A Week (not this time) in Pictures Part 4: Carmen Funebre
Here is part of my production response for Carmen Funebre. The topic is addressing one actors performance. I think you'll find it interesting so give it a read.
I feel like the experience I had with Carmen Funebre was extraordinary. The actors themselves did not speak much and were relied on heavily for their movements and guttural sounds, which made it very interesting to me. But I feel that I was more privileged than all other audience members in attendance in that I was given the rare opportunity to dance with one of the long-haired actors, making him (obviously) stand out to me. But if you read the last sentence closely, you will see that it was not the fact that I stared into his eyes while dancing around the stage that allowed him to stick out in my mind. It was that fact that the long-haired actor I danced with was the ONLY long-haired actor in the production. I did not realize it until curtain call.
This actor, whose name I do not know as I did not keep a program, amazed me AFTER the fact. His characters did not seem at all alike. When we first saw him (that I can recall), he was a refugee dragging a small metal stove. The sparks the smoke made seemed to me to be the drive he felt to keep hope alive. His walk was brisk but tender, and his eyes were strong but gentle. His frizzy hair framed his hardened but sensitive face. He made a connection with another refugee, a woman, and in their combined efforts, they became slightly human again. Although this sense of humanization was quickly stripped of them again, his role as a refugee was a complex, complete and fulfilled one.
The soldier or guard who emerged later to torture the beautiful blonde woman by spitting wine in her face was a different man. His energy was chaotic and disruptive. His demeanour was dirty and abrasive, and I instantly hated him. Watching him made me sick. When he pulled out the picture of Maria, who at the time I did not know was me, I was glad she had escaped him. Then he turned, and his eyes met mine. He knew what he wanted, and he made a bee-line straight for me. His eyes were wild with lust, and when he grabbed my hand, my body told me not to go with him even though I knew he was just an actor onstage. Dancing in his arms in the middle of the scene, I experienced his world. He got my discomfort to crack, and an awkward smile eked across my lips. He even got me to bite the picture of Maria and taste the wine he spat on a defenceless woman. He was manipulative, and his manner made the world a blur. He stripped me of the compassion I had felt and made me enjoy the spiral into intense guilt.
At the end of the show, I was shocked when the two characters emerged as one actor. In my mind, I had made them into two completely separate people, and the colliding of the stark contrasts between the refugee and the guard shocked me. I did not consciously think of this actors effectiveness, which made it that much more powerful when I did think about it. To me, this actor stood out among the others because even his unique appearance among the small cast could not breech his performance. I could not see the same man in either character. He stood out to me more that the men on stilt with leather masks, bare chest, orange pants and whips. He stood out to me more than the character of death on stilts and more than the beautiful blonde woman whose pleading face could break your heart in an instant. This man wowed me without my even knowing, an experience I have never been a part of before in a theatre.
I feel like the experience I had with Carmen Funebre was extraordinary. The actors themselves did not speak much and were relied on heavily for their movements and guttural sounds, which made it very interesting to me. But I feel that I was more privileged than all other audience members in attendance in that I was given the rare opportunity to dance with one of the long-haired actors, making him (obviously) stand out to me. But if you read the last sentence closely, you will see that it was not the fact that I stared into his eyes while dancing around the stage that allowed him to stick out in my mind. It was that fact that the long-haired actor I danced with was the ONLY long-haired actor in the production. I did not realize it until curtain call.
This actor, whose name I do not know as I did not keep a program, amazed me AFTER the fact. His characters did not seem at all alike. When we first saw him (that I can recall), he was a refugee dragging a small metal stove. The sparks the smoke made seemed to me to be the drive he felt to keep hope alive. His walk was brisk but tender, and his eyes were strong but gentle. His frizzy hair framed his hardened but sensitive face. He made a connection with another refugee, a woman, and in their combined efforts, they became slightly human again. Although this sense of humanization was quickly stripped of them again, his role as a refugee was a complex, complete and fulfilled one.
The soldier or guard who emerged later to torture the beautiful blonde woman by spitting wine in her face was a different man. His energy was chaotic and disruptive. His demeanour was dirty and abrasive, and I instantly hated him. Watching him made me sick. When he pulled out the picture of Maria, who at the time I did not know was me, I was glad she had escaped him. Then he turned, and his eyes met mine. He knew what he wanted, and he made a bee-line straight for me. His eyes were wild with lust, and when he grabbed my hand, my body told me not to go with him even though I knew he was just an actor onstage. Dancing in his arms in the middle of the scene, I experienced his world. He got my discomfort to crack, and an awkward smile eked across my lips. He even got me to bite the picture of Maria and taste the wine he spat on a defenceless woman. He was manipulative, and his manner made the world a blur. He stripped me of the compassion I had felt and made me enjoy the spiral into intense guilt.
At the end of the show, I was shocked when the two characters emerged as one actor. In my mind, I had made them into two completely separate people, and the colliding of the stark contrasts between the refugee and the guard shocked me. I did not consciously think of this actors effectiveness, which made it that much more powerful when I did think about it. To me, this actor stood out among the others because even his unique appearance among the small cast could not breech his performance. I could not see the same man in either character. He stood out to me more that the men on stilt with leather masks, bare chest, orange pants and whips. He stood out to me more than the character of death on stilts and more than the beautiful blonde woman whose pleading face could break your heart in an instant. This man wowed me without my even knowing, an experience I have never been a part of before in a theatre.
A Week in Pictures Part 3: Wednesday Evening and a Busy Thursday
WEDNESDAY EVENING!
Can you feel the duende?!?! Flamenco dancers and the cante jondo on the street across from the Old Vic.
We saw As You Like It at the Old Vic Theatre! That is one of my absolute favorite plays by Shakespeare.
National Army Museum. Redundant? Maybe. (For some reason the website is rotating some of my pictures. Sorry.)
We had an amazing lecture on British soldiers in World War I, complete with props. And I mean REAL props. And then we got to PLAY WITH THEM! (Andy, I know you're jealous of this one.)
Max checking out one of the first machine guns.
Some war goodies. Probably not the best word to describe them. (Again, stupid website is rotating my pictures. I don't know how to fix it.)
A soldier's boots.
How many times in your life do you get to wear a British soldier's uniform? I think my earrings and scarf really compliment the outfit.
THURSDAY!
Carmen Funebre is a really intense show. Check out my next post to hear a little more about it.
Jill's boyfriend Morgan flew over to surprise her!!! Natalie and I had to help out with the planning. He flew in Thursday, we helped him get set up at the hotel, gave him our keys, and tried really hard to keep our mouths shut. He was in our room after the show, and Jill cried. Check out her blog London Days if you want to read more about it. (P.S. Natalie, again, gets the photoshopping credit.)
Can you feel the duende?!?! Flamenco dancers and the cante jondo on the street across from the Old Vic.
We saw As You Like It at the Old Vic Theatre! That is one of my absolute favorite plays by Shakespeare.
National Army Museum. Redundant? Maybe. (For some reason the website is rotating some of my pictures. Sorry.)
We had an amazing lecture on British soldiers in World War I, complete with props. And I mean REAL props. And then we got to PLAY WITH THEM! (Andy, I know you're jealous of this one.)
Max checking out one of the first machine guns.
Some war goodies. Probably not the best word to describe them. (Again, stupid website is rotating my pictures. I don't know how to fix it.)
A soldier's boots.
How many times in your life do you get to wear a British soldier's uniform? I think my earrings and scarf really compliment the outfit.
THURSDAY!
Carmen Funebre is a really intense show. Check out my next post to hear a little more about it.
Jill's boyfriend Morgan flew over to surprise her!!! Natalie and I had to help out with the planning. He flew in Thursday, we helped him get set up at the hotel, gave him our keys, and tried really hard to keep our mouths shut. He was in our room after the show, and Jill cried. Check out her blog London Days if you want to read more about it. (P.S. Natalie, again, gets the photoshopping credit.)
A Week in Pictures Part 2: A Wednesday Afternoon at the Tate Modern
Today's your lucky day. I'm about to talk you on a walk through the Tate Modern, a Wednesday afternoon, and my mind. This museum is so amazing, and here are some of the pieces I found inspiration in... Look carefully! You'll find works from Max Ernst, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol. Oh, and probably my new favorite photograph ever.
And that's only the beginning...
And that's only the beginning...
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