Last Tuesday was the last time I wrote. That night we saw Like A Fishbone, which turned out to be probably the most heartbreaking show I've ever seen. The production was in a small fringe theatre literally in a transformed house in Shepherd's Bush. The play takes place in an architect's office, the owner of which has been commissioned to create a memorial for a school shooting that took place 6 months earlier in which many children died. It is the night she is supposed to reveal her design, which is really just a recreation of the schoolhouse as it looked on that day made visible by one glass wall. However, the blind mother of one of the little girls who was killed gains entrance into the office and what ensues is the representation of a debate over faith, whether of a particular religion or self-defined. Let's just say I was so heartbroken and emotionally drained that I couldn't stop bawling for at least 30 minutes after the show ended. That's all fine and dandy, but when you have the rare chance for a talkback question-and-answer session with the cast, director, and set designer, it's probably better that you recover first. It was still incredible though, because we got to ask about the design, the actor's process, directing choices in terms of blocking, anything we wanted. Plus they served wine, fruit, and crackers with cheese. Beautiful.
Wednesday brought an English test in the morning, and by the afternoon we were more than ready for a trip to our favorite gelato place in Notting Hill called Gelato Mio. After that was the FIE reception dinner for all the students involved in the program. This took place on a rooftop in Kensington, and the program provided us with free dinner and wine!
Thursday was another test, but this time it was on the history of London. (I thought I did horribly, but turns out I didn't miss a single point! A+ :) ) The rest of the day was laundry and homework until we were off to the National Theatre (and let me tell you, it is THE national theatre) for Women Beware Women. When we got to the theatre we were lucky enough to catch a performance by the recent graduates of a circus school! (See picture) 
The play itself was interesting to say the least. It was tragedy from the Jacobean Era, which I have been learning about for years but I've never actually seen anything from this time period. These plays were written to expose the corruption of society. They revolve around the upper class becoming involved in revenge, sex, incest, debt, you name it. But the catch is that at the end of the show, EVERYONE is punished for their sins and no one escapes (i.e. they all die). Most of the play was interesting, but take it or leave it. The end, however, was one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen. The stage began revolving faster and faster as the characters died, and we could catch glimpses of each of their deaths at each turn. The music simultaneously became louder and faster, and the result was one of the most intense artistic moments I've ever witnessed onstage. There is no way I can explain it to you, but I wish I could. It is definitely something you have to see. Check out a picture of one side if the set.
We got back really late that night because the show was almost three hours long. But we still had to pack because Friday morning we were leaving for Paris! We met at 5:45 am at Gloucester Road Tube Station, where we took the Tube to Kings Cross (although I haven't seen Platform 9 3/4 yet!). From there it was under the English Channel and into France. I've decided that instead of writing out everything we did in Paris, I'm just going to do another post of pictures with captions. I think they'll speak for themselves. :)
The play itself was interesting to say the least. It was tragedy from the Jacobean Era, which I have been learning about for years but I've never actually seen anything from this time period. These plays were written to expose the corruption of society. They revolve around the upper class becoming involved in revenge, sex, incest, debt, you name it. But the catch is that at the end of the show, EVERYONE is punished for their sins and no one escapes (i.e. they all die). Most of the play was interesting, but take it or leave it. The end, however, was one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen. The stage began revolving faster and faster as the characters died, and we could catch glimpses of each of their deaths at each turn. The music simultaneously became louder and faster, and the result was one of the most intense artistic moments I've ever witnessed onstage. There is no way I can explain it to you, but I wish I could. It is definitely something you have to see. Check out a picture of one side if the set.
We got back really late that night because the show was almost three hours long. But we still had to pack because Friday morning we were leaving for Paris! We met at 5:45 am at Gloucester Road Tube Station, where we took the Tube to Kings Cross (although I haven't seen Platform 9 3/4 yet!). From there it was under the English Channel and into France. I've decided that instead of writing out everything we did in Paris, I'm just going to do another post of pictures with captions. I think they'll speak for themselves. :)
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