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.

I have really enjoyed these last few days in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Was much as I loved London and it’s hustle and bustle, the small community town vibe of Stratford has been a relaxing change of pace. We have the cutest little Bed and Breakfast, I wish we had more time to spend here if just for the room! Plenty of outlets and a kitchen for us to use, its so nice. The owners make a delicious breakfast, English or what I got which is a giant croissant they bake. Tea, of course, which has been so yummy. And I will miss the milk here in England, it doesn’t even compare to our sad, watery, drugged up milk at home. Stratford is such a nice place to be, with so many cool Sharkespeare sites. We have gone to Shakespeare’s birthplace, his graveside in Trinity Church, and his wife Anne Hathaway’s cottage. These were very cool to see and be around, and I know only more exciting for those of our group that love Shakespeare so much. To be honest I have trouble imaging him walking around in Stratford, but I have been trying to picture it. I can however understand why he spent so much time here though. When I was walking around near the river, I thought how nice it would be to read here. I know that if I was a writer I would find Stratford the perfect environment for my creative juices. I can totally understand the peace and tranquility that fueled his mind to write his comedies, histories, and tragedies. We got to see The Merry Wives of Windsor and King Lear (performed in Ukrainian, which I talk about in another blog. Merry Wives of Windsor was really fun! The costumes and set were more modern than Shakespeare’s day, and like someone said it really did feel like a 50’s sitcom. So while it wasn’t a classic rendition, it was still very entertaining. I particularly liked the relationship between Mrs. Paige and Mrs. Ford. When the characters were putting on their schemes that were so funny, the actresses seemed to be genuinely cracking at their own joke. It really felt like they had a lot of fun putting on this perfection, which is something that really makes a show for me. The other actors were brilliant too. I was initially hesitant about Falstaff, but he won me over once the Wives started tricking him. I think he did a great job and don’t want to detract from his performance at all, but I couldn’t help but think after we saw Ian McKellan portray Falstaff in Player Kings, what his performance of this show would have looked like. But I digress. We had great seats too, apparently better than they’ve ever had according to the surprise and glee from Shawn. That helped the performance too of course, to be able and see the actors faces closely. (Though it’s not a big theatre it wouldn’t be too bad from anywhere.) I am so happy we’ve ended on Stratford, I think it was such a great note to end on and allowed us to start to say our goodbyes in an more peaceful, beautiful place. However I will say if you ever want to do a little rowboat on the Avon, don’t. Get a motor boat if you can because rowing sucks and I literally got a blister on my hand. But memories, that’s what I told myself to feel better! And do I have some great ones. This was such an unforgettable experience and I am so grateful to have shared it with these people I love. Now I have to stop writing or I will cry and I cant, I’m about to go have a delicious Sunday Roast!

Today we watched King Lear at the Royal Shakespear theater company, The Other Place. It was an interesting experience that was worth watching. While I didn’t understand much I could follow along with the events of the play because of our class discussions and could even interpret some lines due to the expressions and movements of the actors. The king and jester both were so compelling in their speech, despite not understanding them they commanded my attention with the intensity of their voice and the purposeful movements they made. I found the costume to be minimal but very interesting in their design being the white under garments and burlap covers. The crowns were also very interesting because though they too were simple they allowed the viewers to keep track of the characters through these head dressings and even interpret when a character was trying to steal power or crown themself. The set was also very minimal, being only a few rolling set pieces that they used in different formations to convey a change in setting. The lighting was very good and really it was what I would say was the peak of the show. During the war scene and storm scene both the way they used lighting was very impressive considering how minimal everything else had been. This Ukrainian version was able to capture the essence of the King Lear tragedy through the wonderful acting, expressions and tone used by each character. The effect of seeing a play in an unfamiliar language was interesting as it was both interesting and boring. I say this because though I was paying attention it was hard to know what moments were supposed to be deep and which were supposed to be funny. It did allow me to pay much more attention to the acting detail and talent demonstrated by each actor.