Our fringe show was about 10 pounds which is about 15 in U.S. dollars. When we walked into the theatre it couldn’t have been more than 120 people in there, if not less. The theater was at the back of a church and smelled sooo much like a church. We were definitely the youngest people at the play and everybody else was about 65 plus and from the community. 

The play I saw for my fringe play was called The Lady in the Van and it was an interesting one to say the least. Although I may have stretched the truth in real life, I’m gonna be honest on my post, that play was by far the worst play I ever saw. The set itself was actually put together very well for a church theatre, it had a lot of bright, groovy colors to represent the time this play was taking place in and the costumes were really well suited for each character and were correct to the time period.  Also the big set pieces like the desk and the van were put together really well and worked well with the play. The woman who played the homeless lady in the van was just not a great actor, she stumbled over her words about every other line. She was also just very erratic and going crazy on the stage! The two men that played the older and younger version of each other were actually really good actors and were basically the only reason I could continue to watch the play.

I understand that fringe plays have a much lower budget and do not have as many resources as the west end but that was roughhhh. Overall, I’m still happy we went to see it because it makes me even more thankful for these professional productions I got to see on the trip.

For my fringe play show, I chose to see The Lady in the Van at the Bear Pit Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I went to this show with Cate, Cailyn, Belle, and Lauren, and it was super close to our little bed-and-breakfast. It was about a 5-minute walk and cost about $15 USD. Not bad, right? Well… this play was definitely fringe, and definitely off the West End.

When we walked into this theatre, it only sat 112 people, and who had the seats in the back? You guessed it! Cate and I! Honestly, I cannot even be mad because it was so cheap, so close to where we were staying, and gave us something to do in this small town at nighttime. Upon walking in, we were handed a “playbill”. Looking at this playbill and the cast, you were able to see that almost all of the cast were related, so you can imagine how good the cast was. Not only were they all family, but they were also all over 70 years old. It just was not great to be honest, sorry for Cate and my hyping of the play in the group chat, it was a lie.

Anyways! While watching this show, not only was the acting bad, but the transitions to the next scenes were next-level middle school. They would do a millennial pause when entering a new scene and have music that played into the next scene, where the characters would stand still until the music stopped. Truly, it was not great. Besides the acting and transitions, this play was also boring, and I was fighting sleep the entire time. At intermission, all of us girls were just bonding over this “experience” because at least we were doing it together. 

I can totally appreciate the idea of a fringe play in a small town, and I think I really did experience the core of what a fringe play should be. However, this being said, I miss West End, haha. 

We only spent about two days in Stratford-upon-Avon, but I think it was a necessary change. I think that a lot of people ended up feeling really tired and homesick towards the end of the time in London, so a change of scenery probably helped out a lot of people, me included.

The biggest difference between the two areas was the architecture and style. London is obviously much more of a city, and Stratford was much more reserved. The buildings conformed much more to a Tudor style, and were visibly older. 

It was interesting seeing the places where Shakespeare lived and was born. It wasn’t too much of a jaw-dropping moment for me, but it was good to know where some of the greatest theater creations were written. 

Another big part of this last portion of the month that I liked was the day trip to Oxford. I spent most of my time in Oxford walking around the Christ church Meadows, which were incredibly beautiful. I saw a perfect weeping willow and spent some time underneath it, and also saw a swan on its own. Oxford was super pretty in general, and I tried to spend some time in the museums, but I was more drawn to walking around outside. 

I think I’m definitely ready to go home, but I will miss London. I’ve become very accustomed to the lifestyle here, as much as possible for an American staying for 1 month, but I’m starting to develop a cold so now is a good time to head back.

Of the trip, my highlights were shows such as Mother Courage and Her Children and Equus, going to see a concert with Palmer, meeting a crazy homeless woman who told me she was attacked by a vampire, and being pink in Banglatown. 

I will miss you, London! I hope you get electricity and plumbing soon. 🙁

Standing in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre replica was such an experience. I did not realize how much I hate standing up. I hate it. A lot. Despite my being lazy and not wanting to stand for two hours, both plays were incredible. Though when you go next year, I highly recommend you stay away from a matinee show if possible. That was rough.

Having the opportunity to experience a play as a Shakespearean time spectator was very cool. It was pretty hard to see through people if you weren’t in the front or sitting. I was thinking about this the other day, but it made me realize why Shakespeare actually invented upstage and downstage. Having the stage basically be a ramp and having the upper part of the ramp in the back, upstage, would help add depth and help audience members see better. I just thought that was a funny thing to experience.

In the prompt, it says we are seeing Romeo and Juliet at The Globe, but that is incorrect, so I will be writing about A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which we did see at The Globe. Let me just begin by saying, wow. That was the first production of AMSND I have ever seen, and I had never read it, so it was such a magical experience. I loved the set, costumes, and THE BUBBLES! I think this would differ heavily in Shakespeare’s day because, uhhh, there would be no bubbles. In all seriousness, though, there wouldn’t have been much of a set. It would have been much more low-budget. I think the set really takes you into the world of the play, so it is hard to imagine it without it. The costumes were also so extravagant, and they definitely would not have been during that time. I think one of the only things that would have been the same is maybe the staging and fight choreography. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Globe, besides the standing, and I would totally go back to see another show. (Only if I get to sit)

I have no clue what the title means. I just kind of wrote it down. Anyway, I loved Westminster Abbey. When I went to London two years ago, I did not get the chance to see it, so I am so happy this was on our travel plan! When I initially walked in, I just could not believe how gorgeous it was. That first hallway, I looked up, and I just had nothing to say but wow. There was so much more than I expected. I did not know what to expect, but it was not what I got to see. There were so many graves and plaques of dead kings and royalty, which I expected. What I didn’t expect, though, was the number of authors I would know with plaques there.

Charles Dickens, was the first one I wanted to go see. I heard whispers about him being there, and I got excited. Dickens wrote classics such as A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, and Great Expectations. His grave is very simple for a not-so-simple person. I mean, he is one of the greatest writers of all time, and he has a mere stone plaque. Dickens’ novels helped expose poverty and social injustice in Victorian England.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s Tomb was located in Poet’s Corner. He is most famous for writing the Canterbury Tales, one of the most important works in the english litureture. He was originally buried due to his royal employment rather than for his poetic writings. He is known as the father of English literature.

Laurence Oliver has a memorial stone in Westminster Abbey. He was one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. He starred in numerous Shakespearean plays and films. His ashes were interred in the building in 1991, this was so he would be close to Shakespeare’s memorial.

Mother Courage seems to be a crowd favorite on this trip. I agree, I think it was beautifully put together and a great show, at least the part I watched. After the intermission fiasco, poor Kailee, I volunteered to sit with her in the seats. I do not know what happened, but I did start nodding in and out of consciousness through act two because of my heat exhaustion. So, my information will mainly focus on Act One of the show, but what a great act it was!

I now understand Erin’s obsession with Bertolt Brecht. I think the play is tastefully made, and we all got to see a wonderful production of it. Bertolt uses his distancing tactics in this play correctly. One of the first few scenes was the actors pointing and making fun of the audience. I thought it was hilarious until they pointed at me and said the word blowjob; preferably not what I wanted to hear while almost passing out from heat exhaustion, but nonetheless, I chuckled a little. Bertolt’s distancing tactic really added to the play in my opinion and actually made me personally feel more involved with the characters, but still not a part of the story. I feel as though the audience kind of served as a watchful eye on the war. We were meant to be the ones who stay composed while all of this death and emotional trauma opens up in front of us. Was it effective to put the audience in that position? That I say yes to. It truly did allow audience members to think about their personal connection to war and society and what differences they can make rather than just being completely absorbed into the plot. If done incorrectly, this distancing technique can take audience members out of the story and just seem like a cheesy fourth-wall break. If done correctly, it can be very effective.

I think the fact that we saw Mother Courage and Her Children being performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater helped me, as an audience member, become more immersed and engaged in the performance and its characters. After watching Mother Courage and Her Children, I honestly would have never known that Bertolt Brecht had tactics to try to disengage the audience. I felt like I was so included and incorporated into the story and these characters’ lives that I was right next to these real people watching these real-life events happening. I think I would be completely immersed in the world of Mother Courage if we were watching this show in a normal proscenium theater, but it made the watching experience so much more intimate that we were standing right next to the stage, making eye contact with the actors. Smelling them, hearing their footsteps, seeing the sweat on their faces makes me feel like I, myself, am a character with them. I think that was half the reason I loved this show so much, because I felt like I was in the story, living the lives these characters were living. The impact this show had on me was lasting and lingered with me for the rest of the trip, because we were at The Globe, and because we were so engulfed into the story. I understand that one of Brecht’s tactics is to disengage the audience from feeling they are a part of the play, but I believe that is what made this show so one of a kind. It, of course, would still be an amazing show even if we would have seen it from miles away, but I believe the opposite tactic of what he was going for (making up feel like we were living the character’s lives) is what made the show stand out to me so much.     

My fringe play was The Lady in the Van. Oh boy. It was something. I think this was probably the worst play I have seen on this trip. I am not usually one to hate on any form of theatre, but I genuinely could not stay awake for this show, and I drank a RedBull before I walked in. The reviews on this theatre were high, and I guess I expected a lot more than what was presented. The set was pretty basic. On one side was a wooden van, and on the other were a fake library wall and a desk. The main character, Miss Shepard, lived in a van for the whole show. That is about the only plot point I got from the play. I was super excited to see this adaptation because Courtney said it was one of her favorite movies. I really hope that the movie was better than this version. Every single scene was separated by a ten to fifteen second interval of some weird saxaphone music. The characters would walk in, hit a very exaggerated pose, hold it for maybe ten seconds, then start the scene. I just want to know what the direction process was behind this because I just do not understand. The wardrobe was pretty regular. I mean, she was meant to look homeless, and that is not so hard to do. The lighting was my least favorite part of the show by far. It faded in and out for every single scene, and it would fade from an orangy yellow bright light down to a weird black light. The lighting did not accentuate the story whatsoever, and it honestly was really disappointing because lighting is one of my favorite things to look for in a show now that I know what to look for!

This trip has been full of theatre. Some shows I loved and some not so much, but I’ve enjoyed getting to experience all of it. A lot of the shows that I have seen on this trip have been heavily commercialized and would be considered either West End or Off West End. There is another tier to the theatre here though, and it is called fringe. Fringe theatre is defined by its limited budget, small spaces, and cheaper ticket prices. It is also where you will find new playwrights and work. On this trip I saw two fringe theatre shows, they were called “The P Word” and “Redcliffe”. While they were definitely lower budget and less elaborate than some of the other shows I saw, they ended up being some of my favorites. 

First I saw “The P Word” at Bush Theatre. This was a two person play that took place in a small black box theatre. I had to run from watching parliament to catch a 40 minute tube ride to the theatre. It was in a location that I had never been before, and it was definitely smaller than other parts of London I had been to. I hadn’t eaten since early that morning when I got there, so I ended up getting a falafel wrap from a wonderful little stand. It was delicious. The play itself maybe had 100 people in attendance. In fact, they ended up telling people to move closer to the stage from the back rows because the front rows were so sparse. The play itself was about two gay Pakistani men navigating being queer in London. It follows their story of meeting and eventually falling in love. It addresses issues of queer identity, cultural differences, and familial dynamics. The show was excellent. The show was only 90 minutes long, and it was gripping from beginning to end. Both actors did a phenomenal job, and one of them did incredible accent work for their character. The set was very simple. The main piece was a circular platform in the center of the space that was split in the middle. The two sides were slanted in opposite directions which created cool possibilities for staging. I was overall really impressed with the production, and would definitely recommend it to people seeing theatre in London.

Next, Milly and I went and saw “Redcliffe” at Southwark Playhouse. This show was beautiful. This show is an original musical by Jordan Luke Gage. On top of writing the music, lyrics, and book, he also stars in the show. The plot of the show is based on a true story that follows the life of William Critchard, a gay man living in the 18th century. He ends up getting tried with sodomy after being caught having a moment of intimacy with another man. In the end, both he and the other man end up being sentenced to death. This show was incredible, but it could definitely use some rewrites. The book of the musical was incredibly well written, but some of the songs felt like they didn’t fit in the show. Gage has a very heavy pop influence in his music, and sometimes the music felt stylistically wrong for the feeling of where the story was headed. With this being said, I did enjoy a lot of the songs. Also, the direction of the piece was beautiful. The staging was incredibly naturalistic, but also had moments of heightened theatricality that punctuated the story perfectly. The last 15 minutes of the show had me crying which is rare for a show to do. This playhouse is one that I would definitely recommend because I really loved the feeling of the work that they do. Overall, my fringe theatre experiences in London were great!

Cheers,

Thatcher

I loved Stratford-upon-Avon! Going from the busy streets of London with having to constantly dodge crowds of people and getting airported every ten seconds by someone who’s never walked before to the calmer, open streets of Straford was a large change, but an enjoyable one. I love the small-ness of Straford, even with some local pro-wrestlers???

Seeing and standing where Shakespeare was born was so strange but cool. You’re telling me that his mother stood in the room that she slept in, had a gravity-birth, and that’s where he and his mother and his siblings slept? All in that room? We also saw Anne Hathaway’s (no, not the actor) cottage where she would regularly make ale (beer), invite people in, and host little get togethers and sell ale to people, which I’d like to say is now what my future career will be. 

I really have found a new appreciation, not just for theatre, but for art as a whole, and how moving and interpretive and personal it can be. I cried when three people puppeteering a horse walked toward an actor with a blindfold over his head… that doesn’t just happen. It was inspiring walking into a library and seeing centuries of history written and preserved in books because people from way back then knew it was important for us today to remember their stories. I want to see more pop-up musicians because seeing a guy go absolutely insane on the fiddle to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme is something I need to see more often.

Rebecca and Brittany, it was so cool getting to know you two and watch An Ideal Husband with you both!

Random guy from the guitar store who lowkey had a jam session with me for 10 minutes before helping a customer, let’s do it again.

Kiya, my dm’s are always open.

This whole trip has been an incredible experience! I now understand why everyone who’s been on the trip in the past raves about how impactful it is and something that they’ll always look back on lightly. I’m so thankful I was able to explore London, meet some amazing new people, and have stories to tell for as long as I can remember them.