Stratford-upon-Avon Mop Fair

Today and tomorrow the Mop Fair is in Stratford-upon-Avon. What is a mop faire you ask? Well, to this American it looks like a street carnival. However, apparently there is a deeper meaning:

HISTORY OF MOP FAIRS
Farm workers, labourers, servants and some craftsmen would work for their employer from October to October. At the end of the employment they would attend the Mop Fair dressed in their Sunday best clothes and carrying an item signifying their trade. A servant with no particular skills would carry a mop head – hence the phrase Mop Fair.

Esmeralda at the Bolshoi

 

This evening my flatmate and I went to the local cinema to watch a live telecast of the Bolshoi Ballet Company's Esmeralda. Bolshoi is one of the leading ballet and opera companies in the world and is located in Moscow, Russia.

I was surprise to pay 15 quid for the tickets and find myself sitting in an assigned seat in the movie theatre - Apparently the Ballet is a serious cinema event. I then watched a romantic version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame performed before me. The intermissions (there were 2 of them) were long and drawn out - but that dancing was spectacular! Too bad I will be out of town when Sleeping Beauty hits the cinema.

Cardenio Amazes at the RSC

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Cardenio is described as "Shakespeare's 'Lost Play' Re-Imagined.” It is the first full-scale new production in the remodeled Swan Theatre. The production is a first adaptation/reinvention of Cardenio at the RSC. The production's 3 sources stem from Cervantes, Shelton and Theobald. To reconstruct the text of Cardenio, texts from Theobald’s Double Falsehood were incorporated with Don Quixote along with new text.

In performance, Cardenio presents dynamic characters, romance, action and intrigue. The relationship between Oliver Rix and Lucy Briggs-Owen as Cardenio and Luscinda gave breath to a sometimes comedic, sometimes tragic romance. Briggs-Owen depicts Lucy as a fidgety young lover, struggling with her inner most desires against the forms of her father and society.

Alex Hassell as Fernando tore at the heartstrings – A character one desires to love and hate in the same instance. He is bold, crass and rash in his decisions – A ruffian who takes what he wants without thought of the consequence. Yet, in all his faults he presents a giddy humor and a naivety that puts his villainess nature into question.

Perhaps the best production at the RSC this season, it is a shame this play calls tonight its closing.

The Players present THE CHANGELING!

Yesterday afternoon I auditioned for the Shakespeare Institute Players - the postgraduate drama group here in Stratford. As a group we had decided to produce The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley.

To my surprise, I have been cast as Beatrice-Joanna (the leading lady)!

I am a little anxious to be taking on this role at the institute. As this is my first encounter with the play, I will being doing extensive research over the next few weeks as we enter rehearsal.

Tonight I am off to see Cardenio, Shakespeare's lost play re-imagined, at the Royal Shakespeare Company. I truly cannot wait to sit in the Swan and bathe myself in what I hope to be a brilliant show.

Special Collections

Today I visited the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham. The Special Collections and Archives of the University of Birmingham consist of approximately 120,000 pre-1850 books dating from 1471 and some 3 million manuscripts. Today I was able to handle several rare and old books including the 1668 first edition of Paradise Lost and a 1651 copy of Canterbury Tales. - Also (the oldest book I have ever held) a 1484 copy of Plato’s Opera. I think I might be in heaven.

UK Special Keys

As if studying in England isn't hard enough, now I have to think while I am typing. I noticed today while on a University of Birmingham computer that not all of the keyboard keys are the same. It doesn't look like much of a difference, but when typing emails and quotations it gets a bit confusing...

Weekend of Rest

This weekend has been filled with relaxation, shopping and studying - Not necessarily in that particular order. I have been spending a lot of time in town in cafes trying to access the internet. So far, McDonalds still has the fastest WiFi in town. However, I am still disapointed because I have not been able to upload any videos of my trip so far.

It was difficult to navigate through town this weekend with the abundance of tourists flooding the streets. I am happy to call myself a local in order to disassociate myself with their madness. I have also started to use the lingo here, in moderation, such as "cheers", "dodgy" and "posh".

Last night I went to a Garden Party on Rothers Street - Then relocated to Cox's Yard for a beer. I am still trying to learn some of the lingo here and feel a little out of place at times. Tonight some of the students are going out to celebrate our first full week in Stratford.

I stopped by the Institute about an hour ago to do some homework in the Library and was happy to find my missing university ID card in my Pigeon Hole (mailbox). Now I can access the building and library by swiping my card at the entrance to get in. This also allows me to check out books - Although, many of the books are not permitted to leave the building because they are rare, expensive, and must remain on the shelves so that anyone can access them at any given time.

My room is finally in order. I just need a wardrobe of some kind so I can fully unpack and stop living out of my suitcase. Here is a recent picture of my newly decorated bedroom:

Cheers!