Third Week of Classes

I started my week off right by watching an English Premier League football game at a pub. My new friend Chris took me to The Rocket where we watched the first half of Liverpool vs. Tottenham and he filled me in on the top EPL teams and which ones I shouldn't like based on the fact that they are owned by ridiculously rich men who can buy whatever players they want (like the Yankees (boooo!)) We were joined by two rather inebriated gentlemen and that occurrence paired with the fact that they were playing loud music instead of the commentary lead us to move to The Euston to watch the second half. The commentary was loud, our bar mates were football enthusiasts and we snagged a comfy couch where we could watch in peace. By the end of the night, Chris had turned me into a Tottenham fan (due in part to their Shakespearean team name: The Hotspurs) and I had a healthy hatred for Liverpool based on their dirty tactics (Skrtel kicked the keeper!) I was so happy to become more immersed in British culture and I look forward to buying my own Tottenham scarf.

A flag would do, too. My walls are rather bare...

Wednesday night, my Theatre in London class saw another play, a new one written just this past year called One Man, Two Guv'nors. It is based on the Commedia dell'Arte play The Servant of Two Masters. It was hilarious. It is the funniest thing I've seen since Book of Mormon. I laughed throughout the entire first act. My stomach hurt. I was crying. I was helplessly mirthful. And Americans: good news! The production is coming to America later this year: look out for it! Buy your tickets now! It is with the original cast and they are all amazing. What a wonderful night at the theatre.

My friends Leanne and Abby outside of the Adelphi Theatre.

On Friday at RADA we met our buddies. These are students who are in the three-year official RADA program. I met one of my two buddies. Her name is Heather and she was really friendly. We talked about what teachers we had and discussed our favorite classes. Then Heather invited me to a bar called the Marlborough after class- apparently it is a big RADA student hangout. So my friends and I went that night and mingled with the British students and got to know them a bit better. When the bar closed at 11 we went to The Bar at TCR (Tottenham Court Road) which was open later and played fun dance music. There were more RADA kids there and I met some new people whom I hadn't had a chance to talk with earlier that day. We danced and talked and had a great time. I'm so glad that we are becoming friends with our fellow British classmates. It's nice to know that there are people to say "Hi" to in the hallways.

Earlier that day (Friday) we had a class in Costumes. We learned about the evolution of fashion in Shakespeare's time (Tudor to Elizabethan). Then, as a treat, the Costume director brought in Elizabethan dresses and outfits for us to try on! We all had fun not breathing in corsets, drowning in voluminous dresses and wearing ridiculous ruffs. Here is a picture of all of us in our garb:

From left to right: Top row: Jason, Kate, Stacy, Will, Leanne, Abby, Me, Emily, Justice
Bottom row: Ellen, Dana, Jill, and Kiran. All looking gorgeous!

Today, Leanne and I went on a program to the Tower of London. I took the Tube for the first time (this semester; when my family was in London last summer we took it all the time). Still, it felt like a momentous occasion and so I took a photo for you folks who are passionately curious about the difference between the subway/trolley and the tube:

Note the plush seats! Ooh, fancy!

The Tower of London was quite an adventure. Leanne and I had a great time navigating the fortress, exploring all the towers, and walking along the cobbled streets that haven't changed much since they were first placed there in 1066. The history of the Tower of London is very dark; from torture to public beheadings. We walked all over and saw all there was to see: the Armoury in the White Tower, the Crown Jewels, and the battlements. I think our pictures will tell the story better:

Outside the Tower

The White Tower

A Yeoman!

A monument to all those publicly killed at the Tower, but especially Anne Boleyn, the first one ever executed.

A picture of a postcard of the Crown Jewels, because they wouldn't let us take photographs of the real thing.

Next week I can look forward to seeing Juno and the Paycock at the National Theatre, visiting the National Portrait Gallery, and taking a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge! Until next week, my fellow Americans.