It's opening night for our show! AND we're in a magazine! I'll post more tomorrow, probably, but it's been crazy busy for the last week and a half and this is mostly for me to check in and say I'm alive and things are good and OUR SHOW IS STARTING!! WOOO!
Have a link to that article :)
http://www.timeandleisure.co.uk/whats-on/previews/2054-play-almost-maine.html
Bye!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Meeting famous people! It's super fun.
We went to go see a show called The Last of the Haussmans at the National Theatre earlier this week. The show stars Julie Walters, who is most well known in the U.S. for playing Mrs. Weasley in the Harry Potter movies and for playing one of the friends in Mamma Mia. She was lovely and it was really interesting to see her on stage. But what made the night just brilliant was meeting one of the actresses I most idolize:
Helena Bonaham Carter.
YEAH.
HELENA. BONAHAM. CARTER. You know, Bellatrix, Mrs. Lovett, The Red Queen, Queen Elizabeth...
She's in London for the International Film Festival, but she and Julie Walters know one another from the HP movies and so she was at the theatre to see her perform!
We saw her during intermission near the bar. She was kind enough to give us autographs AND a picture!
She was with some friends and we kept apologizing for taking up her time, but she was really nice about the whole thing. And she's shorter than me! I have hope! And apparently some of our classmates gave her a flyer for our show. I'd probably pee myself mid-scene if she showed up. It's not likely, but one can hope!
We then waited at the stage door for Julie Walters, but she never appeared. We're guessing they all escaped to one of the theatre's bars. But it was wonderful to see her on stage, and it was amazing to meet Helena Bonaham Carter. I'm still freaking out.
So, if we examine the list...I've met or seen:
Imelda Staunton
Michael Ball
Fiona Shaw
Julie Walters
Mark Rylance
Judi Dench
and Helena Bonaham Carter.
I love London.
Helena Bonaham Carter.
YEAH.
HELENA. BONAHAM. CARTER. You know, Bellatrix, Mrs. Lovett, The Red Queen, Queen Elizabeth...
She's in London for the International Film Festival, but she and Julie Walters know one another from the HP movies and so she was at the theatre to see her perform!
We saw her during intermission near the bar. She was kind enough to give us autographs AND a picture!
 |
| She's the one on the far right, with the crazy hair |
We then waited at the stage door for Julie Walters, but she never appeared. We're guessing they all escaped to one of the theatre's bars. But it was wonderful to see her on stage, and it was amazing to meet Helena Bonaham Carter. I'm still freaking out.
So, if we examine the list...I've met or seen:
Imelda Staunton
Michael Ball
Fiona Shaw
Julie Walters
Mark Rylance
Judi Dench
and Helena Bonaham Carter.
I love London.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Cultural Differences #3
1) Food. Well, buying groceries, really. At home, we go grocery shopping about once a week. Some weeks, not at all. Things don't expire as quickly, and they're sold in bulk. But here, expiration dates are within a few days for a lot of things, and they're sold in smaller amounts. Families usually go shopping two or three times a week. Which is actually kind of cool; fresh is the the thing here, and that's nice.
More will come! There are a lot of weird things here :)
Another lovely things is how prevalent lamb meat is. At home it's not very common, but lamb here costs about the same as pork. It's still a bit more expensive, but not by much, and the area of the meat section devoted to it is about the same size as pork or beef. It's really nice because it means I can have more variety in my meat for not too much money. Rabbit, however, is just as elusive as ever.
The thing about food here that made me happiest is nectarines. People here eat them the way we eat, I dunno, apples or oranges. And they're cheap! You can buy a four pack of nectarines (yup, a four pack) for one pound. It's great. I have taken to cutting my nectarines into little slices and putting them into a frying pan with butter and cinnamon. Occasionally I drizzle a little nutella on top. It's delicious and takes about 3 minutes to make.
Quick fact: baking mixes don't seem to exist. Which is OK except when all you want is two biscuits to go with your tomato soup. Then it's a bit of a bummer.
Lastly, instant coffee seems to be the only kind you can buy. Non-instant is called "proper coffee". But in the store, instant is just about all there is. The first few weeks we had some really crappy Maxwell House instant and it was bad. Fortunately we figured out which brand is the good stuff (Kenco, if you're curious), and it's actually quite tasty.
2) Window screens. Or rather, the lack thereof. There are screens on every window that opens in the US. I haven't seen a single window screen here. It was a little worrying at first, because we were concerned about bugs, but we haven't had any problems of that nature yet. But apparently one flat in some year past had a bird fly in the window...here's hoping that doesn't happen this year.
3) Smoking. Everyone smokes. It's a little gross actually. I mean, not in restaurants or the tube, but on the street and outside of buildings that you're entering, and outside the flats...I do kind of miss the American attitude towards smoking.
I'll concede that when we've gone on our day trips to smaller cities, there is a lot less smoking. So it might just be a big city thing. Either way, it's a little gross.
4) Double decker busses actually exist. Not just for tourists. They're the most common bus type on public transport. It's always a little exciting when stereotypes turn out to be true.
5) On the subject of transportation... getting used to the wrong side of the road thing was a little weird, mostly when it comes to cross the street, but after a few weeks it was normal. What I can't get used to is the steering wheels being on what we think of as the passenger side of the car. I frequently panic when I see a car driving down the road and there's no one on the driver's side. It usually goes along the lines of "OH MY GOD. THAT CAR IS DRIVING ITSELF! OH MY GOD! THERE'S NO DRIVER!! IT'S GOING TO VEER OUT OF CONTROL!! AHHHHH!" And then I spot the person on the other side and remember and feel silly.
More will come! There are a lot of weird things here :)
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Seeing Fiona Shaw onstage!
I went to see Scenes From An Execution about a week ago. It stars Fiona Shaw, who is known to most for her role as Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter movies, but who is also incredibly famous for her work in theatre. She is one of my favorite actresses, and it was a treat to get to watch her on stage. I saw the show in preview, which was also very interesting, as I've never seen a preview before. It's not much different, and given that it's not a new script there isn't much likelihood of anything being changed, but it was a good experience nonetheless. The show itself was great. It centers on a 50-60 year old artist who has been commissioned to paint a picture of a great war victory for a Venetian doge. But as she goes around talking to soldiers who were in the war, they tell her about bloodshed and fear, not glory and honor. So she paint a horrific scene of gore and death and ends up getting thrown in jail for blasphemy and so on.
The script is well written. But Shaw just made the show. She is probably the most honest actress I have ever seen. That's the big thing they tell us at school: "act honestly. With honest emotions and reactions. Don't fake it." She did so brilliantly. Additionally, the script calls for her character to wander around stage without a top or bra on at one point during the first scene. So the whole audience got to see a little more of Fiona Shaw than we otherwise might have wanted to. But it truly worked so well for the character and the show that it wasn't distracting. Which is even more proof of Shaw's skill; she had such a great presence that it just became another aspect of the show, which isn't easy when it comes to on-stage nudity.
Because it was a preview, the cast had a meeting post-show, so I didn't get a chance to meet her at the stage door. The show runs for awhile yet, so I might go back some night when I know the show will be over and just wait for her at the door. Hopefully it'll work!
The script is well written. But Shaw just made the show. She is probably the most honest actress I have ever seen. That's the big thing they tell us at school: "act honestly. With honest emotions and reactions. Don't fake it." She did so brilliantly. Additionally, the script calls for her character to wander around stage without a top or bra on at one point during the first scene. So the whole audience got to see a little more of Fiona Shaw than we otherwise might have wanted to. But it truly worked so well for the character and the show that it wasn't distracting. Which is even more proof of Shaw's skill; she had such a great presence that it just became another aspect of the show, which isn't easy when it comes to on-stage nudity.
Because it was a preview, the cast had a meeting post-show, so I didn't get a chance to meet her at the stage door. The show runs for awhile yet, so I might go back some night when I know the show will be over and just wait for her at the door. Hopefully it'll work!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
I'm alive! And Canterbury and Blenhiem Palace
I'm alive! Really and truly. I know it's been awhile since you've had an update, but here's one for you. Right now.
Holy history Batman! We went to Canterbury and Blenheim Palace. Not all in one day mind you. That would be a little crazy. Anyway.
Canterbury was supercoolandstuff. It is OLD. And very very interesting. Birthplace of Christopher Marlowe, early Saxon ruins, ancient pilgrimage sight (Oh hey Chaucer), medieval city wall still in tact all the way around (almost), AND I found a really great bookshop :). It was an great place to visit. I wish I could remember more, but it was almost three weeks ago. Sorry 'bout that...
The weekend after, we went to Blenheim Palace. Which is a Palace. In Blenheim. Crazy, no? Anyway, it's mostly famous for being Winston Churchill's birthplace and sort of kind of family home. It was built for the general who won the Battle of Blenheim during the War of the Spanish Succession on the sight of his victory. It is extremely opulent, the library and gardens especially. Can you imagine if this was your private library?
I mean...there's an organ. In the library. And you can't even see the side galleries or bay windows. It's one impressive library.
It's usually used for weddings now.
Holy history Batman! We went to Canterbury and Blenheim Palace. Not all in one day mind you. That would be a little crazy. Anyway.
Canterbury was supercoolandstuff. It is OLD. And very very interesting. Birthplace of Christopher Marlowe, early Saxon ruins, ancient pilgrimage sight (Oh hey Chaucer), medieval city wall still in tact all the way around (almost), AND I found a really great bookshop :). It was an great place to visit. I wish I could remember more, but it was almost three weeks ago. Sorry 'bout that...
The weekend after, we went to Blenheim Palace. Which is a Palace. In Blenheim. Crazy, no? Anyway, it's mostly famous for being Winston Churchill's birthplace and sort of kind of family home. It was built for the general who won the Battle of Blenheim during the War of the Spanish Succession on the sight of his victory. It is extremely opulent, the library and gardens especially. Can you imagine if this was your private library?
It's usually used for weddings now.
Being young and stupid in London
tldr: The London bus system is weird, and central london is a little creepy early in the morning.
Everybody is young and stupid at some point. Everybody has the adventures that make for great storytelling later in life. Everybody has the story they put on reserve for when they want to shock their children, who believe that their parents are nothing but stiff necked dictators, with tales of college parties or political riots or crazy music festivals (people who went to college in the 70's have the best stories).
I now have one of those stories.
I have stayed up until what-the-hell-'o lock in the morning before. But has previously involved either term papers or friends having an emotional crisis. It have never before involved wandering through central London at 5:30am with two semi-inebriated classmates on a quest to get back to our own beds.
To those who are concerned about my well being: I am fine, nothing happened. My feet were sore, I was tired, and a lesson has been learned. But I will admit that it was quite the adventure and while I am not keen to repeat it, I did have a good bit of fun, in around the exhaustion.
Part of our studies in the UK are done through another arts school just outside of London. One of the courses of study they offer their students is called American Theatre Arts, and includes a year of study in the US. Those students are called ATAs (surprise!) and we take one of our classes with the first years. They live about 30 minutes away by train. We have been invited out there twice for house parties; I didn't go the first time. I went the second.
It was a huge party, half house party, half ushering-in-the-new-school-year party. It must be remembered, though, that the drinking age in Great Britain is 18, but most people start drinking at around 14. You know, having a glass of wine with dinner etc etc. Drinking is much more casual. And people here don't just drink a glass or two of something. People here drink. Holy cow. I don't drink at all, and it was very interesting to watch the night progress, to say the least.
The ATAs thought we were all going to stay at their flat last night and catch a morning train out, around 9:00 or so. But we all wanted to go home and get back to our own beds. But we stayed out until 3:00am. The first train out is at 6:30. So we thought "we'll catch one of the 24 hour night busses"! Turns out, that's WAY easier said than done. After wandering around their neighborhood for awhile to find a bus stop for one of said busses, half of the group went back to the ATAs' flats to spend the night. So two of my classmates and I went off to find a bus stop. One of them was pretty drunk, the other barely tipsy, and I was sober. We finally found one! It was one of the most relieving moments I have ever experienced. We made at least 5 route transfers to account for the wonky night-bus system, basically taking whichever bus took us in the direction of the flats, and at one point found ourselves at 5:30am wandering around Piccadilly Circus looking for the correct bus stop to transfer. It was a bit frightening. Lots of men standing on litter-filled sidewalks offering rickshaw rides, drinks, asking for change, looking you up and down, reaching for your purse and pockets...finding that bus stop usurped the "most relieving moment" position. We took that bus to another stop and then, this is straight out of a movie, it started raining. It stopped about three minutes later, but still.
Anyway, we finally arrived at a bus stop from which we knew how to get to the flats and just pathetically shuffled home. We were all exhausted, cold, and hungry and just collapsed into sleep. At 6:15am.
We should have stayed at the ATAs' flats.
Lesson learned: walk fast, look forward, keep a hand on your purse, and accept hospitality. It was lovely to wake up in my own flat, in my own bed. But the morning train would have been OK too.
Everybody is young and stupid at some point. Everybody has the adventures that make for great storytelling later in life. Everybody has the story they put on reserve for when they want to shock their children, who believe that their parents are nothing but stiff necked dictators, with tales of college parties or political riots or crazy music festivals (people who went to college in the 70's have the best stories).
I now have one of those stories.
I have stayed up until what-the-hell-'o lock in the morning before. But has previously involved either term papers or friends having an emotional crisis. It have never before involved wandering through central London at 5:30am with two semi-inebriated classmates on a quest to get back to our own beds.
To those who are concerned about my well being: I am fine, nothing happened. My feet were sore, I was tired, and a lesson has been learned. But I will admit that it was quite the adventure and while I am not keen to repeat it, I did have a good bit of fun, in around the exhaustion.
Part of our studies in the UK are done through another arts school just outside of London. One of the courses of study they offer their students is called American Theatre Arts, and includes a year of study in the US. Those students are called ATAs (surprise!) and we take one of our classes with the first years. They live about 30 minutes away by train. We have been invited out there twice for house parties; I didn't go the first time. I went the second.
It was a huge party, half house party, half ushering-in-the-new-school-year party. It must be remembered, though, that the drinking age in Great Britain is 18, but most people start drinking at around 14. You know, having a glass of wine with dinner etc etc. Drinking is much more casual. And people here don't just drink a glass or two of something. People here drink. Holy cow. I don't drink at all, and it was very interesting to watch the night progress, to say the least.
The ATAs thought we were all going to stay at their flat last night and catch a morning train out, around 9:00 or so. But we all wanted to go home and get back to our own beds. But we stayed out until 3:00am. The first train out is at 6:30. So we thought "we'll catch one of the 24 hour night busses"! Turns out, that's WAY easier said than done. After wandering around their neighborhood for awhile to find a bus stop for one of said busses, half of the group went back to the ATAs' flats to spend the night. So two of my classmates and I went off to find a bus stop. One of them was pretty drunk, the other barely tipsy, and I was sober. We finally found one! It was one of the most relieving moments I have ever experienced. We made at least 5 route transfers to account for the wonky night-bus system, basically taking whichever bus took us in the direction of the flats, and at one point found ourselves at 5:30am wandering around Piccadilly Circus looking for the correct bus stop to transfer. It was a bit frightening. Lots of men standing on litter-filled sidewalks offering rickshaw rides, drinks, asking for change, looking you up and down, reaching for your purse and pockets...finding that bus stop usurped the "most relieving moment" position. We took that bus to another stop and then, this is straight out of a movie, it started raining. It stopped about three minutes later, but still.
Anyway, we finally arrived at a bus stop from which we knew how to get to the flats and just pathetically shuffled home. We were all exhausted, cold, and hungry and just collapsed into sleep. At 6:15am.
We should have stayed at the ATAs' flats.
Lesson learned: walk fast, look forward, keep a hand on your purse, and accept hospitality. It was lovely to wake up in my own flat, in my own bed. But the morning train would have been OK too.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Review: One Man, Two Guv'nors and meeting the cast!!
Theatre: Theatre Royal Haymarket
My only complaint about the show was that we had to read the script before hand for class, so some of the "surprise" and "improved" jokes were ruined for us. BUT the actors did such a great job of acting those moments that they were still absolutely gut-busting and wonderful.
AND THEN
My roommate and I went to the stage door after the show and we got pictures with almost the whole cast! It was *awesome*. They were all so wonderful, and the lead even asked about our show in October! I doubt he'll come, but it would be so cool if he did, and the fact that he was interested at all was great. It was just wonderful to get to talk with them. We got to chat with one guy about his stunts (which are hilarious) and with another about his crazy quick changes (really fast costumes swaps). It was just...so great.
THIS PLAY. SO GOOD.
Seriously. New favorite play, I think. Though I just read War Horse, and the script is amazing and we go see it next week...
Date of show: September 11, 2012
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Synopsis: One Man, Two Guv'nors is based on the classic Commedia dell'arte play Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. The play is about exactly what it sounds: our main character, Francis, ends up with two jobs, working as a servant for two bosses, and he has to keep all of their affairs in order while keeping the two of them apart. Mistaken identity and love stories abound.
The play was just...incredible. It's unbelievably funny, smart, silly, and brilliantly written. The cast was phenomenal. The first scene was a bit mild, in terms of laughs, but by the end of the show my abdomen was actually sore from laughing; the show picks up very quickly. If you have the chance to see it, do. It's bawdy and stupid and at the same time very smart. The actors blew me out of the water. Go see this show if you can.
The play was just...incredible. It's unbelievably funny, smart, silly, and brilliantly written. The cast was phenomenal. The first scene was a bit mild, in terms of laughs, but by the end of the show my abdomen was actually sore from laughing; the show picks up very quickly. If you have the chance to see it, do. It's bawdy and stupid and at the same time very smart. The actors blew me out of the water. Go see this show if you can.
My only complaint about the show was that we had to read the script before hand for class, so some of the "surprise" and "improved" jokes were ruined for us. BUT the actors did such a great job of acting those moments that they were still absolutely gut-busting and wonderful.
AND THEN
My roommate and I went to the stage door after the show and we got pictures with almost the whole cast! It was *awesome*. They were all so wonderful, and the lead even asked about our show in October! I doubt he'll come, but it would be so cool if he did, and the fact that he was interested at all was great. It was just wonderful to get to talk with them. We got to chat with one guy about his stunts (which are hilarious) and with another about his crazy quick changes (really fast costumes swaps). It was just...so great.
THIS PLAY. SO GOOD.
Seriously. New favorite play, I think. Though I just read War Horse, and the script is amazing and we go see it next week...
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