Getting to tour Westminster Abbey was a surprisingly cool experience for me. I definitely expected it to be cool, but I think what I didn’t expect was the sense of deep history that I felt as I walked the halls. Walking through the Abbey, there were certain portions of the tour where we were literally walking on the graves of prominent people of London. I also think that getting to be in a building that is that old is such a surreal experience. Learning about the history of the Abbey, and all of the different important, historical events that took place there, just reminded me of how crazy it is that I only get to exist on this earth for such a short amount of time.
I think one of the coolest things tha5t I got to experience when visiting the Abbey was seeing the gravesites or memorials of so many amazing artists who have made an impact on the artists of today. Among these, the three that really stood out to me were, William Shakespeare, George Frederic Handel, and Lawrence Olivier. For those who live under a rock, William Shakespare is a legendary playwright during the Elizabethan time period who wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and many more lesser known works. His most famous plays include, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, and many others. Many of his works also have been adapted into modern day books, movies, tv shows, and other plays.
George Frederic Handel was a legendary German – British composer who was born in 1685 and died 1759. He is known for writing at the peak of the Baroque era of classical music and wrote countless works that are still performed today. His most famous works include Handel’s “Messiah” and “Ronaldo” both of which catapulted him into the highest ranks of composers.
Laurence Olivier was English actor and director. He was the founding director of the british National Theatre, which is still running today. While serving as the director of the National Theatre, he also played roles in two promininet shakespare productions including the titular role in Othello and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. He also directed multiple film adaptations of Shakespeare plays including Henry V, Hamlet, and Richard III. He also has the West End’s “Olivier Awards” named after him, which is the UK’s Tony Awards.
Getting to see the memorials/burial sites of so many amazing artists was such a cool experience. I was so glad that we got to go, and hope to carry the legacy of these artists into the work that I create in the future.
-R
Theatre in London U of A 