Time to get down to work....

Yesterday I met with my course advisor to talk about my progress at the institute and to discuss ideas for my dissertation. I have decided that the focus of my study will be Word of Mouth: Gossip and Lies. I am debating to focus all of my efforts on Shakespeare's cannon, or to extend my reach to include other playwrights of early modern drama. This would allow me to write about such works as Christopher Marlowe's Edward II and Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women. However, I would like to make sure that my scope is not too big for my paper, so I may end up just sticking to Shakespeare - After all, there is a plethora of material that pertains to my area of interest. I still do not have a supervisor for my dissertation, but I hope to find one soon that is as excited about my topic as I am. Wish me luck!

Titus Opening!

Titus Andronicus opens tonight at the Shakespeare Institute! I have been putting my best foot forward during the process, trying to remember that each day I am allowed to act is a gift. This production has been a trying experience for me. There have been a few bumps along the road to say the least. However, last night's run-through reignited my excitement. We may have a show on our hands!

King John Casting!

I have been invited to perform the death scene of King John with the Shakespeare Institute Players in conjunction with the RSC Open Stages Showcase. This means that I will be taking to the Courtyard stage in Stratford-upon-Avon in a Royal Shakespeare Company production!!! I wanted to share my brief RSC career with you, as this may be my only 10 minutes of fame—literally. Cheers!
 

International Country Music Festival

Last night I went to the International Country Music Festival in London at Wembly Arena. I had an absolute blast with 3 of my closest friends at the Shakespeare Institute. I must say that the highlight of the evening was of course Reba McEntire. I think she is one of the most beautiful, stunning, energetic and charismatic woman I have ever seen. She sounds amazing, just like she always has. It was a real pleasure to see her live, along with the newly reunited Lonestar.

Going to a country concert reminded me of home - minus the crazy drunk Irish Wanna-Be Cowboys and Cowgirls!

The Performers:
REBA MCENTIRE
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
RICKY SKAGGS
LONESTAR
NARVEL FELTS
JOHN MCNICHOLL
JO-EL SONNIER
WILL BANISTER
GEORGE DUCAS
SANDY KELLY & GEORGE HAMILTON IV
RAYMOND FROGGATT
TIM MCKAY
ALI ISABELLA
and PIG EARTH

Italia!

As part of my mid-semester break, I took a 9 day journey with my fellow Californian, Tanya, into the heart of Italy. In 9 Days we visited 5 cities, each more stunning as the weather begins to improve here in Europe.

Day 1 and 2:
We visited the city of Verona. A lovely town with many connections to Shakespeare, although many are deliberate tourist traps. We spend the first day wandering the Piazza delle Erbe, Castelvecchio, and the Verona Arena. Next we visited the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Casa di Giulietta, Teatro Romano, Castle Scaligeri and Juliet's Tomb, at the Capuccin Church.

Day 3 and 4:
In Venice we were surprised to find that Carnival was in full swing! The Basilica di San Marco stands majestically in St. Mark's Square, where people in costumes freely roamed about the piazza. We took a water bus to the island of Murano to visit the Glass Museum. We even took a gondola ride under neath the Rialto and through the tiny canals of the city. After much shopping and much eating it was time to move on to Florence.

Day 5:
Florence is a beautiful city filled with numerous examples of artistic genius. Two must sees on our list were Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery and Birth of Venus by Sandro Boticelli at the Galleria degli Uffizi. We climbed the Ponte Vecchio the oldest and most famous bridge over the Arno; the only Florentine bridge to survive WW2. We visited Santa Croce church containing the monumental tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Dante. We visited the homes of Dante and Michelangelo. Lastly, we climbed to the top of a hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo for a spectacular city view.

Day 6:
We visited the leaning tower of Pisa!

Day 7, 8, and 9:

We slowly but surely made our way through Rome. We visited every possible historical landmark conceivable, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Mouth of Truth and the Trevi Fountain. We spent an entire day in Vatican City, working out way through a 1,000 room museum (no we could not possibly visit every single room), and staring at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel until our necks were sore. At the end of our 9th day, we boarded a plane for London and said goodbye to the beautiful country of Italy. At least we know we will go back someday. After all, I did throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain.

Lizz Ketterer Trust Raises £550 with R&G

Thanks everyone for sharing with us a roaring success: ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN gathered a full house last night. Extra chairs had to be fitted in to accommodate everyone. I cannot remember having seen the Hall of the Shakespeare Institute so full of happy people enjoying themselves so much! Thanks to everyone for coming along. It was truly a memorable occasion.

And the Lizz Ketterer Trust is proud to announce that Ketterer's Men were able to raise £550 in a single evening, thanks to the generosity of our fantastic audience last night.

A new picture of Lizz is now hanging on the conservatory's wall in the Institute as a lasting and loving tribute to her

Overnight in London

I got my dose of theatre for the weekend.  My flatmate (Jude) and I went into London on Saturday just for an overnight trip. We took the train there from Stratford. It was a nice ride through the country.

When we arrived we dropped out bags off at a local hostel - Then went into central London to grab some last minute theatre tickets.

First we saw Noises Off at the Old Vic - A rather fun afternoon show. Our seats were terrible as we bought limited viewing seats for only 10 quid. We could only see about half of the stage and we had to stand through the performance in order to see that much. In a sitting position we were only able to see down stage left - A tragedy, since the second act relies so heavily on physical comedy. Luckily, I am very familiar with the play, centering around several inept actors and a director struggling to put on a production of a terribly written play, while triangulating relationships progress into farcical situations.

In the evening we were blessed to see Travelling Light at the National Theatre. The play, featuring Anthony Sher, was truly imaginative and visually spectacular. The play, directed by Nicholas Hytner, tells the story of a famous Hollywood director of the 1930s and 40s who looks back at his youth in an east European shtetl. Through the art of "moving pictures" the young man experiences love, loss, and struggles to find his identity. I found the performance very moving.

After the performance we checked into the hostel. Our room smelled like feet and contained 3 snorers of epic proportions. We did not get any sleep, and were glad to depart the next morning. We took the train back from London, but one of our trains was canceled, so we spent the last hour of our journey on a bus.

I am glad to be home, but miss the big city. I hope to make a longer trip to London later next month.