Stratford-Upon-Avon. What an amazing little town. It’s so incredibly rich in history as it’s obviously the home town of arguably the greatest playwright of all time, William Shakespeare. And lemme tell you, there is not a shortage of Shakespeare memorabilia here. Everywhere you look, you see that man’s face. It’s practically unavoidable. The architecture of the buildings are so unique and old school I love it. I’m so thankful that the people/government (whoever is in charge of this place) maintain the history here. In that regard it’s very similar to London. But that’s pretty much it as far as comparability. London is a completely different beast than Straford-Upon-Avon. From the ability to walk pretty much everywhere you need to go, to the diversity in people, there aren’t many similarities.

I can’t believe that I’ve had the opportunity to a few days in the land of where Shakespeare grew up, lived, and died. I’ve gained a particular appreciation for Shakespeare that many Shakespeare fans haven’t had the opportunity to experience. An appreciation that goes beyond the literature, but for the celebration of a persons life. We’ve seen the very place where the Bard was born, and even where he’s buried. How incredible is that? The people absolutely adore this man. He’s essentially the greatest icon to have ever existed to the people of England. You would think the people worship him as a god had you not known who he was.

I sometimes think about what life was like then. How hard it must’ve been to live. I mean shit, I’m worried about what the next thing I want to eat is whereas these people ate to survive. It’s hard to fathom that. But even still, people celebrated their existence in ways that have carried on for hundreds of years. The ability to sit down and enjoy a show is such an amazing gift that we as human beings posses, and if it weren’t for William mutha fuckin’ Shakespeare… well who knows where we would be.

Tears incoming

I don’t know how to begin to describe this trip and what it has done for me as a person. So I’m not even going to try for fear of uncontrollable crying.

Stratford was perfect.

You know how “hole in the wall” restaurants are always the best? That’s how I would describe Stratford Upon Avon. A perfect little town in the world, rich with history and impossible to be disappointed by it.

This place is just so peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of the city. Don’t get me wrong, I loved London more than anything and will live there one day, but Stratford just brought out such a content and lovely feeling that I dont think I’ve ever felt before.

As we all know I have a slight obsession with Shakespeare so being here was like meeting my biggest idol in a way. Standing on the floors he stood on, seeing the same things that he saw, it’s actually crazy and I don’t think I’ve processed it quite yet.

I am so so thankful that we ended our trip here. It makes me so emotional knowing that places like this exist, because in a way, it just reminds me how little of a bubble we are in, and there are so many things to explore in this world and I want to see them all.

Merry Wives of Windsor was actually incredible. I think I understood it more than any other Shakespeare play we’ve seen ( in terms of the ones I wasn’t super familiar with). It was so funny and all the actors were just so top tier. Their comedic timing was so good and I felt like I was watching a Sitcom. Such a happy feeling in that room the whole time.

But for such a small town it feels so big when were here because of how many things there are to experience.

And minus our room being slightly too small for 3 girls with a LOT of luggage :))))))) HA (my fault), I loved the Bed and Breakfast experience! I loved eating with everyone every morning and it just felt like we were all able to connect more than being seperated in a hotel. And the hosts were just the sweetest people ever. All of the people here were just so nice and SO british I love it so much. I am going to miss the Brits way too much. I want to be one.

As far as this trip was as a whole, life changing is an understatement. I am so grateful and so overwhelmed with happiness. I don’t know how else to put it because there really aren’t words to describe the feelings inside me.

All I can say is I’m going to miss it every day till I come back.

I love you all, thanks for the trip of a lifetime. 🙂

And yes, I am now uncontrollably crying.

King Lear was a crazy experience for me.

I was honestly probably too excited to see this production and was actually disappointed when I learned it wasn’t the whole show. HA. Call me crazy. I just love the show and was so curious to see what they were going to do with it. I really think that King Lear is such a good show because of the characters that were left out, however, I think they did really well with what they worked with.

BUT I still really enjoyed it.

I was able to follow along really well actually! The whole time when they were talking I was like reciting the script in my head of what they were saying and I was so drawn in the whole time. I don’t know what happened to me by the time that Cordelia and Lear died but wow, I could not stop crying. I think it was a mix of the script and knowing THEIR story was just super powerful for me it kind of broke my heart in so many different ways.

The actors were SO impressive! I never once was like “oh I can tell they are super inexperienced”. Well that’s a lie, I thought Lear going mad could have been a little more obvious, because he goes apeshit in the script and this actor was much more calm about it. Other than that though, I thought the fool was really good, I was very drawn to them every time they were on stage. The sisters too! I think Regan was my favorite, her moment at the end where she kind lost it and was just crazy laughing was soooo powerful; she did it really well. I think Coredelia was my least favorite, she just didn’t bring a ton to the role in terms of highs and lows.

I think they captured it being a Shakespeare tragedy very well. The set was very minimal but also had a lot to do with what was happening with the characters. Like during the storm when they were moving them around for a long time read very well to me. I also LOVED when they ripped the sheets down at the end. It kind of scratched the itch of acknowledging the “nakedness” theme in the play for me. They “stripped” the set bare when the characters had really lost it. So genius.

Honestly, seeing it in a different language wasn’t that big of a difference for me. Now if I didn’t know the script as well as I do I would have been lost the whole time; but since I was familiar, I was able to have subtitles in my head haha.

I know I’m bias because I’m a nerd for King Lear but again, I really enjoyed the show and thought it was super powerful.

What lengths do people go to for power? How can power change us?

As Ukraine scooches farther away from Soviet control, Russia’s power has been threatened. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and started an armed conflict in Ukraine, a conflict that is still happening to this day. It turned into a full fledged war in 2022, and has done nothing but cause the loss of life and property. What does it mean to live in this environment?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, “Almost everyone has at least one person on their phone who will never pick up again.”

Loss for the Ukrainian people is inescapable. As one ruler, Putin, seeks to conquer, men, women and children are having their entire lives destroyed and taken from them. After experiencing so much grief, what is the point in hoping anymore? 

Uzhhorod became a refuge for a population of Ukrainians during the invasion. Vyacgeslav Tehorov, a director, recognized the pain that their people were going through and connected it to theatre. He related this pain to the themes of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”

A group of non-professional actors from Theatre Studio of IDP’s Uzhik  in Ukraine banded together with Tehorov to create this production. In times of uncertainty and heartbreak, they sought the gift of language, acting and spectacle to escape their reality. Being performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company, in The Other Place, they have the opportunity to share their story with many people, most of whom are probably unaware of the situation. I wish I was more educated, myself. 

This definitely was an interesting production that I don’t regret watching. Could I understand a word of it? No. However, after already reading the play previously, I had a good grasp on the story, so it did not take as much brain power as I anticipated it would. 

The set was minimal, which I think was intentional, to represent the limited resources the group was probably working with. I really liked the moving white, translucent set pieces they used throughout, and though it was an interesting apparatus to utilized. It was definitely a different adaptation than I was expecting, because Gloucester, Edmund and Edgar were left out of the script, but it allowed them to focus on the King’s relationship and betrayal to his daughters. 

Although the actors were not professional, they still had great projection and intentionality behind their words. I don’t think we were meant to focus on the acting which, as an actor, was hard for me. Which is great! It’s awesome to be challenged, especially on a trip meant for education. 

The most remarkable part about the production was not necessarily the production itself, but the purpose behind it. Theatre is a form of catharsis for me, and I pretty much have boring white-girl issues. I can only imagine how it feels for the Ukrainians to find solace in the midst of a war. 

I think that this play was an interesting choice for Tehorov, because I think it speaks on Vladimir Putin’s sanity. I mean, there must be something wrong with you if you’re going to start a humanitarian crisis over a country wanting some space from you. It parallels King Lear’s descent into madness and the extent that people go to have control, ruining lives in his way. 

I hope that there is some sort of ceasefire seen in Ukraine in our lifetime. Like the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, people are starving and suffering for the purpose of greed. It makes me feel lucky and privileged to not face that reality, and thankful to share an escape like theatre. 

Stratford-Upon-Avon brought a change of pace and scenery that I didn’t know I was craving. I loved the lack of skyscrapers, and the unique individuality of each and every building. People smiled in passing and were generally more outgoing and kind. I also loved how natural it is to bring dogs everywhere. And everything was within a 20 minute, flat and easy walk. The buildings themselves were so old and well preserved it really felt like time traveling.

Shakespeare’s birthplace and grave site was really cool to just be in the presence of. It’s unbelievably cool to be in a room where you know a legend in the making was born and worked. Anne Hathaway’s Cottage was nothing short of breathtaking. The cottage itself was so sweet and well taken care of. On top of that, the staff was so kind and you can tell that they truly love what they do. The gardens were my favorite part. I think it’s so great that they house bees there and sell the honey in the gift shop. They also let people catch and release butterflies. I enjoyed feeling like a little kid again, playing tag with my friends and just enjoying the feeling of sun on my face and grass on my feet.

Seeing Merry Wives of Windsor at the Royal Shakespeare Company was amazing. I had such low expectations going in, mostly because I was so tired, but once it started that all went away. The acting was so energetic and well thought out that I would’ve never noticed that it wasn’t written in modern English. I loved the sit-com feeling I had throughout the show.

Stratford was a beautiful way to end the best month of my life. I can’t put into words how grateful I am for the experiences and friendships that will follow me throughout my lifetime. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who made this possible for me.

As the trip is coming to a close we spend the final days in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Compared to London this place is damn near silent. I haven’t heard a police siren the whole time and it’s amazing. It’s by far the best sleep I’ve been getting and compared to London it feels much safer as there are frankly less people. Sidewalks are mostly empty away from the market and damn near everyone has a dog. Exploring Stratford was interesting as the most entertaining parts don’t really have anything to do with Shakespear or theater at all. What I most enjoyed was the little food market and the park by the river. The places Involving Shakespear were neat and had beautiful gardens. My understanding of his work has increased in the respect that I can admire the rise from nothing. Going from apprentice of a glove maker to the most famous poet of all time. The journey here would have been much different as the lack of a bus would have made it quite longer and I imagine someone would have been burned as a heretic. Overall my appreciation for theater has increased several fold. Seeing amazing shows like Operation Mincemeat and Boys from the Black Stuff has revived my love for the art and my aspiration to be involved in shows and the creation of such wonderful experiences. The sheer amount of shows I’ve seen on this trip is more than the sum total I’ve seen in my life and I was blown away by the skill and dedication presented in each production we saw. The Technical elements in each show especially were expertly done Shows Like London Tide showed me a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to set application as well as lighting and choreography. While I am sad to be leaving London and its amazing Pubs, I am excited to get back into working in theater instead of just watching.

King Lear is Shakespeare’s longest play. And the first real tragedy we’ve seen so far. The Royal Shakespeare company hosted a company of Ukrainian actors and their director to put on a shorter version of King Lear to spread awareness and gain support Ukraine which is currently amidst a devastating war.

My favorite thing about this production was the heart behind it. Theatre is about the message and the feelings you get through storytelling and that was truly present throughout this show. It was abundantly clear that this cause was deeply close to the actor’s hearts. The emotions on stage were real, and there was so much motivation behind each line. This was necessary to keep audience members engaged since we don’t speak the language they were speaking the lines in. Yes, the whole play was in the Ukrainian language. Yes, it was difficult to understand at times. But the cause and the passion behind the cause made it a worthwhile watch.

The technical elements please try surprised me. The set and lighting were very interesting, with the set being very minimal but it worked so well with the lighting. It was 6 columns of strips of wood randomly arranged with a translucent white sheet hanging over it they would move to indicate a change of scene. I loved the storm scene because l the lighting and set worked together so well to create this feeling of chaos brewing for the audience. This was in my opinion, a genius idea of the director’s.

They stressed the point to us that the actors were not professional. However, it was easy to overlook that because of how much passion they brought to the stage. Yes, I noticed acting flaws and I caught myself cringing at a few acting choices but I reminded myself that it isn’t the point. No one went in this show expecting applause, praise, and awards. All they wanted was to get people to think. And they were successful in that for sure.