Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Pictures
I thought I would post a few of the hundreds of pictures that I have taken. It will take me a while to get all of them sorted and posted, but here are a few!
A Little Spare Time.....
Hello! Hello!
So, I have been so very busy this past week and a half that on my free day (today) I slept in! Funny, right? You wouldn't think that that would be such a big deal, but I needed it! We have been going from one thing to the next, constantly and my body needed a rest, especially being sick. I tried to go to a clinic the other day and had to leave because it was going to be too exspensive for me to see a doctor and get them to write me a script. So, I have been drinking lots of water and taking vitamins and cough drops...etc. Feeling a little better, day by day.
You know, it's funny the things you find out. We found out in class the other day, from our guest host in London, that actors used to be fined for being late or for losing a script or a costume. Now, you just get a warning or in "trouble." Interesting to see how theatre, as well as any/everything has evolved over the years.
So, we went to the Hampton Court Palace the other day! AWESOME!!!! It was probably my favorite thing that we have done yet! It was the palace where King Henry VIII himself lived! It was so cool to be in a place where someone that important in history lived! The palace was absolutely huge! And the best part was that we were allowed to take pictures and video throughout the entire palace, so my friend Shari and I did our own "tour" of the palace on video! We have us travelling through the rooms, getting creeped out in some rooms because of the energy you could feel. We have us out in the gardens, and me getting chased by a swan- which is actually very funny because just the night before we had seen "Swan Lake" where a person and a swan fall in love. Hopefully I will get that video edited and posted soon after we return home to the States!
The past few shows we have seen were "Swan Lake," "War Horse" and tonight I went on my own and saw "Oliver." All three of which were nothing short of amazing! "Swan Lake" is a ballet, but this version was a modernized and had a twist where both the swan and the prince, who fall in love, were male. It added an interesting twist! I really enjoyed it- and the dancing was beautiful! "War Horse".....WOW! I have no idea what the show was about going in, but it was so powerful. It was the first show here that I have actually cried at. I have been choked up a few times, but I was sobbing at this show. It was about a young boy who raised a horse, and then was seperated from him when his father sold him to the ARMY. The most amazing part about this production was the fact that the horses used in the show were life-size puppets. Throughout the show, though, I was never really distracted by that fact because their movements were so realistic and precise. Each horse puppet took three people to control it. It was truly amazing! You should google it and check it out. I'm sure there are pictures. Tonight, I saw "Oliver," which happens to be one of the first musicals that I ever watched and appreciated, thanks to my dad! It's funny; when I was little I hated musicals. I thought, "What is the point in singing all the time?" And now, look at where I am- on my way to making this my career- singing, dancing, acting; the whole bit!! And I LOVE it!! Everything about it! Going to a show and seeing what can be created, or watching a good film and seeing the same thing really lights that spark within me to keep going forward and follow my dream to become an actress! Anyway, so when I was younger my dad had a VHS copy of "Oliver" that was all scratched up, and I would sit and watch it, through the bad static and tracking! So, thanks Dad!! What a great musical! It's funny, it's sad, it's serious and it's entertaining. I would love to be in this show!
We have also been to the National Gallery this week, where I saw the originals of some of Van Gough's paintings, as well as da Vinci, and one of my favorites "The Lilly Pond" by Claude Monet. It was truly breathtaking to see these original paintings!
Well it's getting pretty late and I have to be up early tomorrow for our class and our trip to visit Middlesex University.
So, I have been so very busy this past week and a half that on my free day (today) I slept in! Funny, right? You wouldn't think that that would be such a big deal, but I needed it! We have been going from one thing to the next, constantly and my body needed a rest, especially being sick. I tried to go to a clinic the other day and had to leave because it was going to be too exspensive for me to see a doctor and get them to write me a script. So, I have been drinking lots of water and taking vitamins and cough drops...etc. Feeling a little better, day by day.
You know, it's funny the things you find out. We found out in class the other day, from our guest host in London, that actors used to be fined for being late or for losing a script or a costume. Now, you just get a warning or in "trouble." Interesting to see how theatre, as well as any/everything has evolved over the years.
So, we went to the Hampton Court Palace the other day! AWESOME!!!! It was probably my favorite thing that we have done yet! It was the palace where King Henry VIII himself lived! It was so cool to be in a place where someone that important in history lived! The palace was absolutely huge! And the best part was that we were allowed to take pictures and video throughout the entire palace, so my friend Shari and I did our own "tour" of the palace on video! We have us travelling through the rooms, getting creeped out in some rooms because of the energy you could feel. We have us out in the gardens, and me getting chased by a swan- which is actually very funny because just the night before we had seen "Swan Lake" where a person and a swan fall in love. Hopefully I will get that video edited and posted soon after we return home to the States!
The past few shows we have seen were "Swan Lake," "War Horse" and tonight I went on my own and saw "Oliver." All three of which were nothing short of amazing! "Swan Lake" is a ballet, but this version was a modernized and had a twist where both the swan and the prince, who fall in love, were male. It added an interesting twist! I really enjoyed it- and the dancing was beautiful! "War Horse".....WOW! I have no idea what the show was about going in, but it was so powerful. It was the first show here that I have actually cried at. I have been choked up a few times, but I was sobbing at this show. It was about a young boy who raised a horse, and then was seperated from him when his father sold him to the ARMY. The most amazing part about this production was the fact that the horses used in the show were life-size puppets. Throughout the show, though, I was never really distracted by that fact because their movements were so realistic and precise. Each horse puppet took three people to control it. It was truly amazing! You should google it and check it out. I'm sure there are pictures. Tonight, I saw "Oliver," which happens to be one of the first musicals that I ever watched and appreciated, thanks to my dad! It's funny; when I was little I hated musicals. I thought, "What is the point in singing all the time?" And now, look at where I am- on my way to making this my career- singing, dancing, acting; the whole bit!! And I LOVE it!! Everything about it! Going to a show and seeing what can be created, or watching a good film and seeing the same thing really lights that spark within me to keep going forward and follow my dream to become an actress! Anyway, so when I was younger my dad had a VHS copy of "Oliver" that was all scratched up, and I would sit and watch it, through the bad static and tracking! So, thanks Dad!! What a great musical! It's funny, it's sad, it's serious and it's entertaining. I would love to be in this show!
We have also been to the National Gallery this week, where I saw the originals of some of Van Gough's paintings, as well as da Vinci, and one of my favorites "The Lilly Pond" by Claude Monet. It was truly breathtaking to see these original paintings!
Well it's getting pretty late and I have to be up early tomorrow for our class and our trip to visit Middlesex University.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
CRAZY Busy!!
Hello Everyone!!!
I have had no time to myself! It is quite tiring- not that I'm not having a blast but it's a lot! I have already been to see three shows and I have at least six more to see, if not more. I have been keeping a notebook, jotting down little tid-bits of info here and there. The show we saw last night, "1984" was really thought-provoking. I really enjoyed it! It was minimal...not a big set, no fancy costumes, not a lot of color, cardboard puppets (which were really cool) and no spectacle. The show really made me think about the world and how we need to slow down and enjoy each moment of each day for what it is and appreciate what beauty we have in our lives. I have also seen "Billy Elliot" which was really awesome! The dancing was incredible. There was a bit too much spectacle for me but I was highly entertained. We also saw a production of "Twelfth Night" and that was okay, but not the strongest. I visted the Tower of London today. It's creepy to think that I walked through a bunch of stone buildings that imprisoned criminals hundreds of years ago. It was really interesting and kind of creepy (and REALLY cold!!!) It is sooooo cold here. I feel like I have not even left New York. We have heard from the locals and on the news here, that this is the coldest it has been here and the most snow that they have had here in over thirty years...perfect timing, yea? It stinks having to bundle up so much just to walk to the tube (like NYC's subway) and then walk a few blocks to get to where you want to be or to walk to another tube station. Today, I think was the worst- it was so cold that I couldn't even feel my fingers! Regardless, I am having a blast. I am so tired and wish that we had a little bit more down time, but I am in LONDON so who's complaining. I went to a service (evensong-it's what they call their evening services) at Westminster Abbey. We went on a tour there earlier that day. I brought my notebook and wrote entries and took notes, while walking around. Here are some quotes from it:
"Great writers are the ones that leave a legend on paper. We saw so many of their graves at Westminster Abbey. I didn't even know that people were buried there, let alone some of my favorite writers! Charles Dickins, David Garrick, TS Elliot, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare are just some of the many graves that I saw. I kept joking around that every time I would see a statue with a frilly collar I would say, "Look, it's Shakespeare!" and then......(drum roll) I turned around and there was his statue!!! And then I looked next to him and there was a plaque for another one of my favorite authors: Jane Austen."
"Shari and I wanted to get a program, but we had been behind the group and missed out on getting one, so later we saw one on the ground and we picked it up. Little did we know (and we didn't find it out until about twenty minutes later) that it was not in English- we had picked up an Italian one...just leave it to us!!
"There is a presence here-I can feel everyone and all of the history. Being next to/in the same room as a Queen has a power of its own- but being in the same room as Queen Elizabeth...that's amazing!!"
"In the 'Chapter House' there was a quote on the wall:
' 'as the rose is the flower of flowers, so this is the house of houses.'
Well I am headed to bed because I am very tired and I have class in the morning.
Thanks for tuning in!
I have had no time to myself! It is quite tiring- not that I'm not having a blast but it's a lot! I have already been to see three shows and I have at least six more to see, if not more. I have been keeping a notebook, jotting down little tid-bits of info here and there. The show we saw last night, "1984" was really thought-provoking. I really enjoyed it! It was minimal...not a big set, no fancy costumes, not a lot of color, cardboard puppets (which were really cool) and no spectacle. The show really made me think about the world and how we need to slow down and enjoy each moment of each day for what it is and appreciate what beauty we have in our lives. I have also seen "Billy Elliot" which was really awesome! The dancing was incredible. There was a bit too much spectacle for me but I was highly entertained. We also saw a production of "Twelfth Night" and that was okay, but not the strongest. I visted the Tower of London today. It's creepy to think that I walked through a bunch of stone buildings that imprisoned criminals hundreds of years ago. It was really interesting and kind of creepy (and REALLY cold!!!) It is sooooo cold here. I feel like I have not even left New York. We have heard from the locals and on the news here, that this is the coldest it has been here and the most snow that they have had here in over thirty years...perfect timing, yea? It stinks having to bundle up so much just to walk to the tube (like NYC's subway) and then walk a few blocks to get to where you want to be or to walk to another tube station. Today, I think was the worst- it was so cold that I couldn't even feel my fingers! Regardless, I am having a blast. I am so tired and wish that we had a little bit more down time, but I am in LONDON so who's complaining. I went to a service (evensong-it's what they call their evening services) at Westminster Abbey. We went on a tour there earlier that day. I brought my notebook and wrote entries and took notes, while walking around. Here are some quotes from it:
"Great writers are the ones that leave a legend on paper. We saw so many of their graves at Westminster Abbey. I didn't even know that people were buried there, let alone some of my favorite writers! Charles Dickins, David Garrick, TS Elliot, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare are just some of the many graves that I saw. I kept joking around that every time I would see a statue with a frilly collar I would say, "Look, it's Shakespeare!" and then......(drum roll) I turned around and there was his statue!!! And then I looked next to him and there was a plaque for another one of my favorite authors: Jane Austen."
"Shari and I wanted to get a program, but we had been behind the group and missed out on getting one, so later we saw one on the ground and we picked it up. Little did we know (and we didn't find it out until about twenty minutes later) that it was not in English- we had picked up an Italian one...just leave it to us!!
"There is a presence here-I can feel everyone and all of the history. Being next to/in the same room as a Queen has a power of its own- but being in the same room as Queen Elizabeth...that's amazing!!"
"In the 'Chapter House' there was a quote on the wall:
' 'as the rose is the flower of flowers, so this is the house of houses.'
Well I am headed to bed because I am very tired and I have class in the morning.
Thanks for tuning in!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Places to Go...
So, I promise I will write more later, but I am sooooo tired that I am just going to write a little something. First of all, I miss my family! Second, London is AMAZING!!! We have been to The British Museum, the V&A Museum, Westminster Abbey, seen Big Ben, seen two shows ("Twelfth Night" and "Billy Elliot") walked countless miles around London and learned how to work the tube system (their version of the subway/metro system). There are soooo many great things to write about and I really will get to write some of it, but right now I need to sleep (because...I got sick :( No fun, I know. Hopefully, it will go away quickly. I have been taking lots of meds and drinking water and using hand sanitizer...so we shall see......but it is not going to stop me from enjoying London and living this dream-come-true trip!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Shows
The following is a list of the shows that are on the itinerary, that we will be seeing:
- Billy Elliot
- Twelfth Night (Royal Shakespeare Company)
- War Horse
- 1984
- Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake'
- Aladdin (In pantomime)
- Nation
- Midsummer
There are other free nights when we will be able to choose shows that we want to see. I hope to see a production of 'Peter Pan' in a 'in-the-round' theatre that has projections and all kinds of cool technology! Who knows what else I'll see!!!
London: Here I Come!!!
Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow is the day that we fly on over to London! I will be there for two weeks, enjoying the culture and scenes of London through the eyes of a theatre-goer. The program that I am a part of is called the "London Theatre Seminar" and we are going to see all kinds of shows and all kinds of sights and museums! I am so excited! I am going to keep an online 'journal' here for you to read, so that you can see what I am experiencing while visiting England! I will post pictures and links and update you on all that goes on during my trip!
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