5/30: Midsummer Madness and the Tate Museum of Modern (F)Art?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed at Shakespeare’s Global Theatre is probably THE best straight play that I have ever seen. I absolutely adored every aspect of the show, and I had a huge grin on my face the entire time. I loved the acting in particular (and normally I am very nit-picky about acting), specifically evil Puck. I thought that character choice was interesting and added a level to the script that was not there with a silly Puck. On top of the acting, the costumes were cool, and I loved how they incorporated the forest into the costumes, rather than creating an actual set. It was also great to see a cast of nearly entirely LGBTQ+ actors performing on stage together, as that is not something that I see a lot, especially at the level of theatre that Shakespeare’s Global puts on. Seeing a production of Midsummer that was as spectacular as this really left me excited to begin working on our production back home. At the Tate Modern Museum, I enjoyed it much more than I originally thought that I would. The last time I I visited, when I was 17, I did not enjoy the experience. I remember the painting “Blue” in particular being a standout for why I disliked it and not thinking much of the modern art in general. And while that “painting” is still there, I have since gained a new appreciation for many of the other pieces that were present. Alberto Giacometti’s Seated Man really jumped out at me, as the drawing style was similar to how I sketch (drawing multiple lines without erasing to add an ‘unfinished’ effect). Giacometti talks about how by the end, he didn’t even recognize his subjects face anymore and I found that to be very beautiful. I also really liked the room with three large, red Cy Twombly paintings. I walked into the room and was alone for nearly five minutes and it was a very surreal experience. Being surrounded by these massive red paintings and just absorbing them was super cool and it gave me a new appreciation for modern art. A few of us also went to the Natural History Museum and I took some pictures of some awesome dinosaurs and animals, so I attached a few below!