Here we are, the last blog post. Technically my last assignment ever (at least that I know of). Stratford-upon-Avon is such a peaceful little town. When I heard that the town was often called a sleepy town, this is not necessarily what I was expecting. There are way more stores and restaurants than I would have expected for a sleepy town. But, last night, when me and my roommates went on a little walk into town after 7 pm, I realized that sleepy town is the perfect description for this sweet little town. It was essentially a ghost town after 6 pm because all the stores closed and with the additional gloomy weather, it felt more like London than London itself did.

This city compared to London, to me, was basically the exact opposite in terms of vibes and I love both. This city has a much more comfy, cozy, sleepy vibe. I feel like this vibe is kind of a surprise but it also weirdly fits the life of Shakespeare. My favorite part about being in Stratford would have to be the idea of walking in my Grannie’s footsteps throughout the town. She was here about 63 years ago and took a picture with a statue that I decided to recreate!!!

Okay now on to the sappy culmination of the entire trip. As I’m writing this in the airport (oops it’s late, sorry 🙂 ), I keep reminiscing on how much I have changed throughout this entire experience. This trip has quite literally changed my life for the better. It has been the most amazing and inspiring experience of my life. Seeing London has been a lifelong dream of mine. Visiting Scotland and following my Grannie’s footsteps has also been a lifelong dream of mine! Seeing and learning all about Shakespeare is a more recent dream but watching Midsummer at the Globe was one of the best times I’ve ever had.

Obviously a lot of great moments happened on this trip, and the exploring was amazing, don’t get me wrong. But, the best part, in my opinion, was the people (I’m gonna be sappy deal with it, friends). It’s sad but I think before this trip I had forgotten what it felt like to be around nice and caring people. This entire group was so welcoming and caring to everyone, even a random English major senior like myself. I have met some of my best friends on this trip, and I hope these friendships will last me a lifetime, if I’m lucky!

Susan and Tim and Shawn and Courtney, I cannot thank you guys enough for being so welcoming and caring. You guys are what made this trip so special to me! I’m sad to be graduating and leaving all of these new friends, but I hope to keep in touch, and maybe we can all get tea sometime!

For one last time, cheers mate! I love you all!

• Jill Qualls

Getting to visit the globe and see not only one but two shows there was so cool. To be honest I thought it would be a lot bigger, but after going there for a second time, it honestly makes sense that it’s not so big. I think the idea of having groundlings is fun; however, that was not ideal for me as we found out! I think the heat mixed with standing the whole time was not the best idea. I did throw up on the ground at Mother Courage… but on the bright side, I met a super nice medic and got to sit the rest of the show! When we came for Midsummer you could still see the spot there😍 At least I left my mark! Aside from that, it was honestly great getting to watch the show from two different perspectives. The first half I was leaning against the stage, so I had a very up-close and personal view. Then for the second act we were sitting against the back wall in the first section of seats. 

Both of the shows we saw were performed to be very interactive with the audience. Mother Courage had a lot of eye contact and pointing, which gave us a little taste of being involved. Then Midsummer, which started with people getting to come up on stage to perform a scene from Romeo & Juliet, a group getting to learn a dance, and cast members going around the audience to teach a song. Things like that can be so fun because it makes people feel like they are inside the world of the play. I want to say that I feel like shows were also performed like that back then too, but I honestly don’t know. In my head I think that everyone used to be so serious, but obviously these plays were written to be funny, so maybe they did have audience interaction. I don’t recall seeing a show in America that was so interactive, but I’m sure we have them somewhere. The way the globe does theater is so fun, but by now I’m sure this idea has spread and evolved!

I truly think I could write a whole Grey’s Anatomy long television run about how perfect our day in Bath was. I am not kidding when I say my dream date and most perfect day. Bath came at the most perfect time of the trip; we were a few weeks into our trip abroad, and just feeling comfortable and settled in London, we could use a day trip “out of the city”. Everything about the day was dreamy and romantic, even the mode of transportation; something about the tube-to-train pipeline really makes you appreciate when you are training the way there. Noah Kahan said it best, “There’s somethin’ ’bout the window seats got you feeling like a poet”, and that is exactly how I traveled to Bath. Window seat, AirPods listening to Ella Fitz (my G!), reading the peak romantic The Notebook, surrounded by my best friends who were doing the exact same thing. I really was not kidding when I said a dream. So, before we even arrived in Bath, the day was already winning me over. We eagerly arrived in Bath, feeling the sun hit our skin as it was the warmest day of the trip thus far, and excited to experience this magical place. We first stopped around some local artisans and shops, of course making our way inside a chocolate house, a bookstore, a paint shop, and a souvenir shop for good measure #dream. Even our walk along the water was magical. Somehow, Bath had the greenest grass, bluest sky, and even made the concrete look prettier than what is offered in the States. Funny how that happens. We saw birds flying by, swans and baby ducklings jumping in the water, and if the scenery needed to get any better, we spotted a senior citizen landscape painting class taught down on the river…I mean, you have got to be kidding me. When we mustered up the self-discipline to cut our dreamy water-side walk short, we remembered we had the historic and iconic Pump Room to enjoy some refreshment and cosplay Elizabethan-time Pump Room regulars. This lunch was a lunch I want to remember every single detail about. To dream about London is to dream about an afternoon tea, and to have tea in the Pump Room, where royalty walked and sat, literally gives me chills. There is no place more romantic and surreal than drinking tea in London, with 30-foot oil portraits of queens surrounding you, a pianist playing the Ballad of La La Land, and snacking on Jane Austen-themed finger sandwiches. I mean…#dream. While doing so, we pretended to be Royals from the 1800s, giving ourselves fake names like Lady Lord, Lady Oxford, and I =, of course, was Lady Butterfly. To speak how the people that sat in our seats 200 years ago spoke, and act, and think, was something literally out of a movie. It felt so magical to be surrounded by friends (fellow theater kids) who encourage being weird and playful; that is what makes life so fun. After we had bellies full of sugary tea and cake, we wandered. And oh, what a dream it was to wander. We walked past all of the Bridgerton filming spots, stopped by the cutest Lemonade stop, played in a playground (swings for life), and met the cutest puppies along the way. We even saw an outdoor theater rehearsing a dress rehearsal for the show they had later that day…God’s little sign telling me that I was exactly where I needed to be. Of course we ended the day with 2 big ole scoops of gelato, chocolate and raspberry, because duh! How else would I end the most perfect day? To wrap up a description that could have spared a few details, when I think back about this trip, I will always remember this day as something out of a dream. I am so extremely thankful to have experienced a day in Bath, and to be surrounded by legends at the Pump Room, who hold my admiration forever!   

I love a good farmers’ market trip, so the markets in London were an absolute dream! There was more food than I could have ever imagined. My personal favorite markets were Burrow and Spindal. Burrow Market is the one everyone hears about. It is the iconic London market. The thing I was most excited to try at Burrow Market was the world-famous chocolate strawberries. They were delicious and definitely lived up to the hype. Another famous thing I got from the market was “The Best One” sandwich from The Black Pig. I had seen it on TikTok and have been wanting to try it ever since. Another food that lived right up to its expectations. Wow. It was delicious. The best thing that I got over all was at Spinfield’s market from Yum Buns! I got the pork buns, and they were incredible. They were so good I also had them at Seven Dials Market. I am really hoping they have a Yum Bun coming to the U.S. soon. 

All of the markets had a plethora of food from different cultures. Asian cuisine is my absolute favorite by far, and the markets all had so many options. I am really mad that I did not get to try more food. I really debated on eating two lunches at Spinfeild’s, so I could try more things.

Do not even get me started on the deserts. OMG! There were so many options. I actually could not believe it. I always gravitated towards anything chocolate or pistachio. I got a huge chocolate doughnut at Spinfield’s Market. It sadly looked better than it tasted. It was pretty dry, but still flavorful. As a foodie, the markets were one of my favorite parts of the trip, and I cannot wait to go back and explore more cuisine options.

What a sad sad day today is. I truly cannot believe our time in London has come to an end. This trip has been such a highlight in my life for me and I will always cherish all the memories, inside jokes, and laughs. 

We wrapped up our time in London on Friday and headed over to Stratford-Upon-Avon on Saturday which was such a quaint little town. It was totally different from London and definitely provided us with a chance to slow down and enjoy the end of the trip. Stratford is home to quite literally everything Shakespeare, so we got to tour his birthplace, new place, and Anne Hathaway’s cottage.

Each tour was so interesting and each building was well reserved, you can truly tell this town thrives from being Shakespeare’s home and they love to uphold their status. 

Not only being historically interesting, the town was absolutely gorgeous. Flowers, colored buildings, rivers, and GIANT swans were everywhere, truly giving the town such a sweet charm. 

I’ve always studied Shakespeare so getting to see The Tempest at The RSC was also such a cool experience. The show was incredibly intimate and filled with so much talent (definitely worth skipping dessert) I would love to see more here in the future!

Even though I did enjoy our time in Stratford, I don’t think it was comparable to our time spent in London. For me London has just been so memorable, this entire city reminds me now of all the fun memories I’ve created over the past month. From O2 to a noise complaint (sorry Shawn), adopting biscuit cake, dark maga, tiktok dancing, and Shawn truly not gaffing, this trip has truly been one of the best months of my life. I want to thank every single person for making this trip so fun and absolutely perfect. 

I’ll end off my very last Theatre in London blog post with one of my favorite quotes: how lucky are we to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?

Cheers to a month of a lifetime! I love you all so much and already miss my ohana ❤️

-Erin 

#alwayswantedtogogo

After seeing 20 shows on this trip I truly feel as though I have a taste for how theatre is in London! From a show on its 74th running year, brand new west end shows, and even an odd wrestling match in Stratford, getting to see so much theatre has definitely been a highlight of the trip for me. For class assignments Shawn and Susan took us to see eight shows that were all spectacular (minus Sherlock sorry) but on our own we had to go see a fringe play. A fringe play is an experimental or unconventional theatrical performance produced outside of mainstream theatre institutions. These shows are often lower budget and held in random spaces. For my fringe show, Tru, Milly, and Thatcher and I went out to see Agatha Christie’s Witness for a Prosecution held in a real courthouse on The Southbank in London. I had absolutely no idea anything about this show so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Tickets were around 15 pounds and the show had a super cool atmosphere. Being a show about a court case and having the audience play the jury and sit in a real courthouse was such a cool idea- however, I truly wouldn’t know because I only witnessed HALF of the prosecution. I know it’s so so horrible but I truly struggled to stay awake at this show, like it was so bad. The courthouse was cool in theory but there was no lighting and the darkness definitely led to me falling asleep. Also it was actually 90 degrees in that theatre, I had to grip the metal bar in front of me just to keep some coolness. Once intermission hit I met up with Milly and Tru who witnessed the same experience and we all agreed to head on home because we had a show that night and really needed some rest time! 

Overall, it was nothing against the production. I’ve heard so many great reviews of the show but it just wasn’t the one for me. Im hoping to find some more fringe shows in the future that I might end up enjoying more because I really do love the idea of them. 

As a vegetarian, my options for dining out are very limited, especially in Arkansas. I am also rarely able to try new cuisines as they usually use meat products. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of vegan and vegetarian options in London, even at the markets we visited. At Borough Market, I found a Mexican restaurant where I ordered vegan street tacos with cauliflower and potatoes. I’ve only been able to find vegetarian street tacos at one place in Northwest Arkansas, so I was extremely excited about these. The cauliflower were my favorite, they had a delicious spice that didn’t burn or linger for too long in my mouth.

Then at Spitalfields Market, there was a Japanese restaurant that sold katsu. I’ve never had katsu before because it is usually made with chicken, but this place had a tofu option. I ordered the tofu katsu with the sweet tonkatsu sauce on rice, and I loved it. The tofu was light and the breading added the perfect crispiness to it. I hope to find another place with tofu katsu again in the future.

Also at Spitalfields Market, I ordered paneer tikka naan tacos. I know that sounds crazy, but this was one of my favorite dishes from my entire trip in London. I had a LOT of Indian food on this trip, but this might be the best. The paneer was so flavorful, the tikka masala was spicy, the arugula and onions gave it a crunch, but the naan had a slight sweetness that brought it all together. Naan tacos are an absolutely genius invention that I have never seen before and I hope the United States catches on to it. It was so nice to have such a variety of vegetarian options and have the chance to try things I haven’t been able to before. -Milly Medlock

As my time here in England comes to a close I just feel a great sense of appreciation for this experience as a whole. We spent our last three days in Stratford Upon Avon. This quiet town was a nice change of pace from the busy city of London. It was a great time to reflect on the trip and my relationship with theatre. I absolutely love Shakespeare, so getting to see where he lived was pretty remarkable. We went to Shakespeare’s Birthplace, The New Place, Holy Trinity Church, and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. I learned that he had 7 siblings, and that his family lived in very close quarters. It was also very interesting learning the history of The New Place and all the different renovations and changes that were made to it in its history. I also got to see two shows in Stratford. A “Friends” themed wrestling show (I don’t really understand this because all they did was play the theme song), and “The Tempest” at Royal Shakespeare Company starring Kenneth Branagh. The wrestling show was really something else. The audience was filled with old people and young children. I guess this is what they do to entertain themselves in Stratford. The actual wrestling was pretty amateur, but it was fun just being a part of the crowd and cheering for different people. “The Tempest” had a completely different vibe from the wrestling show. While I feel that there were some weak acting moments in the show, I did genuinely enjoy it. At one point in the show the character of Ariel was flying in on her fly rig and she suddenly just stopped and started swinging back and forth. I wasn’t concerned at first, but then an ASM walked on stage and called hold. This was the first time that I’ve witnessed a professional show stop because of technical difficulties. It took 5-10 minutes to fix and then the show was back on. It was cool to see a mistake that large be handled in a show that big.

This trip has been such a dream come true. I’ve loved theatre my whole life, and have been doing it for the past five years. I’ve always wanted to see shows on Broadway or the West End but have never been able to before this. This trip has made my love of theatre and life in general even greater. I laughed, I cried, and I wouldn’t trade a second of it for the world. To finish off my final blog post I just want to recount some of my favorite memories of the trip.

• Getting to see my favorite little bear in “Paddington The Musical”
• Getting a black eye.
• Tim trying to give me another black eye every day.
• Getting to show my Thatchel the sights of London (always my most loyal companion).
• Acting as posh British ladies in the pump room in Bath.
• Watching West End legend John Owen Jones in “Into the Woods”
• Hanging out in Erin, Milly, Kailee, Belle, and Lauren’s flat every night and watching random movies and documentaries.
• Getting adopted by a random Irish family at The Wren’s Nest in Ireland.
• Seeing a brand new musical in a tiny little black box.
• Seeing Mark Rothko’s Seagram murals in person.
• And finally, getting to meet and spend time with so many amazing people.

A special thanks to Shawn, Courtney, Susan, and Tim for making this trip such an incredible time. Everyone will be sick of how much I talk about this trip in the fall.

Peace out,

Thatcher

Photo Cred: Erin Newman

CRYING RIGHT NOWWW PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME GO HOME!!! Stratford-upon-Avon is such a different place than London is. In London, especially depending on where you are, there is always at least a little bit of night life going on and a few restaurants open… at Stratford… not so much. The life in Stratford is a lot slower and seems to be more routine driven, pretty much everything but Mcdonalds and Tesco were closed and the streets were completely empty besides homeless people. 

Exploring Shakespeare’s places where he lived, was birthed, courted, and died was an extremely cool and unique experience. It was really cool to see how much people cared even back then to preserve and take care of these places. The town itself was gorgeous, it was like a coastal, countryside english town and it was extremely relaxing which is something I honestly needed after pretty much getting no sleep the entirety of London. After getting to walk around all these Shakespeare places and gain more knowledge about him from guides, my teachers, and my peers, I have definitely gained more respect in him and his work and seen more about how and why he matters so much in the theatre community. Shakespeare definitely would’ve taken a different route to Stratford than we did and I know he wouldn’t have had a nice bus to take him around. There also would’ve been less roads and possibly houses when he walked to town or went to see Anne. In Anne’s Cottage I also loved learning how much lingo we got from Shakespeare’s time like , ‘how the tables have turned,” and “ board game.” 

I have absolutely loved this trip and it has truly changed my life forever. I have gained friends for life and had the best teachers ever. I will absolutely treasure these memories forever and miss this experience for the rest of my life.

Wow, where to start… This truly has been the best month of my life, and I am so appreciative to all of you. How this has flown by is truly bizarre, and it’s freaking me out because how am I writing this in the airport waiting for my flight home? Well! After that tear was shed lets get into my last post for this class.

Upon entering Stratford-Upon-Avon, I was politely reminded how large London is in retrospect. This town seemed to be only like 5 streets wide and has approximately nothing to do besides its monuments. These said “monuments” included William Shakespeare’s birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s cottage, the cathedral where Shakespeare was buried, and New Place. Truly, it did give a beautiful English countryside and buildings dated back to the Tudor period. It was magical, however, to walk amongst the very place where the famous writer once lived, died, and wrote some of the world’s most famous pieces. I loved the vibe that this town gave off and how homey and small-town it was compared to the hustle and bustle of London.

Stratford did give something that London never could, and that is old English charm. London is constantly loud with tube break squeaks, to people talking, to the cars that honk; this place truly is a big city. It was so big that Cate and I used up our entire tube card and had to pay for the last 2 days of our travels on the tube out of pocket! Meanwhile, in Stratford, you could walk the entire town in 20 minutes. I felt connected in Stratford to the history of Shakespeare, English writing, and the culture and heritage of this country. Seeing where Shakespeare lived and learning more about his life made him feel less like a “legend” and more like a real person whom I can reflect on and learn from. 

Now, being in Stratford was not the ideal place to end this trip, as London has my heart, but I will forever cherish the memories that all of the cities I have visited have given me. Thank you, Shawn and Susan, for the most unforgettable experience, and so long, London!! I ❤️ London FOREVER!