We left London and headed to a much smaller place in England: Stratford Upon-Avon.
Because I had enjoyed the city so much, I really didn’t expect to find nearly as much enjoyment in Stratford. We arrived and I immediately fell in love. It was such quaint little town and you do not have to look very far to see the history at all. Everything is cobblestone and brick, and it was so much more peaceful and quieter. Shawn told us that everything closes early because this is a “sleepy little town.” I loved that, it was so cute and perfectly in tune with my old soul. After all the hustle and bustle of the city it was nice to spend these last few days relaxing and taking everything in.
Everything we saw was remarked on how cute it was. Everything from door handles and walls to monuments and parks were covered in flowers and Shakespeare quotes.
We went to Shakespeare’s birthplace and the house that he purchased for his family and where he wrote over half of his works. From these places I learned a lot about his own story and how it might’ve inspired his writings. I learned a lot about his family, which I enjoyed and found valuable. It gave me a wider picture of who he was and what life was like in England all those years ago. The second day we went to Anne Hathaway’s cottage which was my favorite part. The gardens were picturesque and the epitome of peace. I would’ve loved to sit under one of those trees with a book and listen to the bee’s buzz. It was cool to see all the Shakespeare quotes that were connected to everything we were seeing. I found a lot of quotes that I connected with and that made me want to read more Shakespeare. He’s always been one of my favorites but by following in his life’s footsteps I felt more connected to him and his work. We went to trinity church where he was buried. It was strange to think that one of the most influential people in our world’s known history was laid to rest under the stones in front of my feet. I wondered what he would think when he was alive if he found out that we had traveled 4,490 miles to visit him and his home four hundred years in the future. The whole town seemed to be dedicated to him and his honor. Everything was Shakespeare themed, I enjoyed it there.
All the things we did here were a calm and sweet way to end the trip, such as the cat café and the butterfly house. It was a nice way to reflect on all the ways I have personally grown and changed since I arrived in London. It was time that I was very grateful to have with the people who I have connected with and grown to love on this adventure.
I couldn’t be happier that I faced all my fears, stepped out of my comfort zone, and came on this study abroad trip. It was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself and the best month of my life. I am going to miss it so much; I know my heart will be broken in the coming weeks. I know I’m going home, but I must leave a home that I’ve found in this place to get there. I leave a big part of me in London and take a new part of my heart back with me.
The Victoria and Albert Museum was beautiful inside and out. I loved the statues and the paintings. The jewelry exhibit was a particular favorite, capturing history in sparkling and shimmering jewels. However, the theatre exhibit was fascinating, I loved that they had a whole room dedicated to showcasing theatre’s history and educating the public on that process of creation.
The costumes were beautiful. I thought that the set designs were cool to see, it was inspiring the way that people thought outside of the box to create the ambience and story of the show in a set. A lot of these sets reminded me of what we went to see. The Sweeny Todd set was intricate, multilevel, and detailed. Shiloh informed us that just the model probably took hundreds of dollars to create. The Sweeny Todd set reminded me of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis. The way the different levels added to the directorial choices that were available. In all of these shows the characters had the opportunity to pop out of different places and place themselves above or below certain parts of the stage to encourage engagement and attention to the entire set, not just the ground level.
I also liked the set model that did the opposite and created a big hole in the floor under the swinging girl. Without knowing anything about the show I already got to see some of the metaphor of the set and understood what it was trying to communicate. It reminded me of the set for House of Shades, where the father was able to open a trap door and there was lighting coming from the bottom, just like in this set model. It also reminded me of Life of Pi, when he jumps off the boat and falls through a small hidden hole in the show. It is this type of unusual thinking that creates diverse and new unimagined ideas in theatre. It is a way of keeping theatre alive and refreshing with new secrets, ideas, and tricks.
I also liked the little model light board where you could play with the lighting on a real set. Because I’ve been thinking about lighting and observing it a lot on this trip it was neat to get to see some of the behind the scenes and helped me to connect more in my mind about how those things work.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is one that towers over London, visible from most parts of the middle of the city and looming over the streets in undeniable magnificence. Even the outside is full of history and beauty. As we entered the building I was immediately struck with a sense of awe. The ceilings were huge and intricately designed.
The ambience in this building was immediately overtaking. It was hard not to think of the long history of people who have worshipped here. Those who have come in suffering and pain, those seeking growth and comfort, and those finding love and peace. As we sat, I admired all the art in the ceilings. It sparkled with gold details, and all of it was so intricate. I marveled at how the people all those years ago were able to create this place. How long it must have taken, how many people and the work that went into crafting just the ceiling alone. Everywhere you looked there was something amazing to marvel at. The room seemed to stretch on forever, downstairs, and upstairs.
We were there sitting in the pews when someone came up and started a prayer. The silence in the room was a different kind of quiet than most. I thought about how many kinds of prayers have been said in this room. This woman prayed for Ukraine. I wondered how many other prayers had been said in the hopes of a safe return for loved ones from a war. There seemed to be room in this place for all the hopes, fears, and emotions of anyone who entered.
We were downstairs looking at all the burial sites of people who were laid to rest in this church. The tour guide showed us the grave of the architect responsible for the cathedral: Christopher Wren. She noted that you would expect his grave to be one of the most grandiose monuments in the building. But no, it was a simple plaque on the wall. In Latin it said: Si monumentum requiris circumspice.” The tour guide translated it for us, and I felt a pang in my heart. “If you would seek my monument, look around you.” What a beautiful sentiment and a perfect representation of art and what it means to create.
As we ventured to the top of the tower, the stairs were in the simplest words—long. It took a lot of climbing and effort to get to the first level and we all were thankful when we finally arrived. It was beautiful from up there, it felt like you could almost see the whole city. However, there was another level you could climb to. I figured we had already climbed so far; it couldn’t be too much farther. I was wrong. Except these stairs were spiraling and made of rickety metal, and it was quite claustrophobic as everything was narrow and we were packed in a long line that made the climb up one stair take about two minutes. You could look down and see just how far up you were in this level of the cathedral; it was quite a fall far if you were to slip. I was nervous and honestly a little scared. I’m not a big fan of spiral staircases and it felt like I was constantly balancing on the edge.
This made me think about how many beautiful things in my life had been waiting on the other side of fear and hardship. I knew that persevering would be worth it, and it was a pivotal and changing moment of my trip where I realized that my strength had carried me through the scariest moments to the most beautiful ones. When we finally reached the top and I stepped out onto the balcony I immediately began to cry as soon as my eyes caught sight of the city and the horizon in front of us. It was a view like I had never seen before, and it was magnificent. Pictures and description could never do it justice.
I may not have faith in some of the things that other people who visit this church do, but St. Paul’s cemented that faith in myself and trust in the world around me will always grant me success, and a breathtaking view.
Kew Gardens is a botanical garden in Kew, England. We made the long journey to visit these gardens last week. I was expecting something comparable to what I’ve seen in Fayetteville. I was excited for a relaxing walk through a row of some pretty flowers and bushes. My expectations were far exceeded.
I couldn’t have dreamed up something like Kew Gardens even if I tried. Never in my wildest imaginations could I have pictured something like what I found there. I should’ve worn my walking shoes. It was a particularly warmer day in England, the sun beating down. When we arrived, I saw the train that was meant to take you around the gardens to each spot. This was my first clue that this place might’ve been bigger than I expected. The gift shop alone was overwhelming, full of things I was already preparing to spend my money on the moment I saw it.
I started by wandering out and seeing what I found. I began in the Palm House. It was absolutely gorgeous; I’ve never seen anything more luscious and greener in my life. The whole glass house was filled to the brim with trees, flowers, and all kinds of different plants. They expanded across every inch of the ground floor and stretched up to the top of the building. You could climb the white iron stairs, a pleasant addition to the beauty of the room. The railings curved and twisted as I went up. The temperature was somewhere close to one hundred degrees in there to keep the plants in their natural habitat. After I reached the top I didn’t even notice.
Walking through the midst of the all the trees, surrounded on all sides by bright and vibrant greens was something like a movie. Then being on top, looking down over the forest felt like I was flying over some sort of paradise.
I was amazed at how much effort it must take to take care of the plants in this one building. My amazement would continue as I realized the gardens were even bigger than I thought. They stretched on for miles, with all kinds of different pathways, buildings, attractions and garden areas to see. I got to see the giant lily pads and the rose gardens. The Princess of Wales Conservatory was a gorgeous representation of all kinds of different places and climates. They had carnivorous plants and an “arid climate” section, along with waterfalls and rainforests and everything you could imagine! It was huge!
I did part of the woodland walkway and saw all kinds of different amazing trees. I found a tree with branches that stretched out way past its trunk, it is probably the biggest tree I’ve ever encountered. I climbed up in one of the branches and rested for a moment; it was one of the most peaceful and centering moments of the trip.
I saw the impressive sculpture of the Beehive, that allowed you to hear the sounds that Bees ‘dance to’ and communicate with while standing in a lit up and giant representation of one of their hives.
I was in a fantastically relaxed and peaceful headspace, very reflective and contemplative as I observed all the different kinds of plants. Some of them, I’d never even heard of before. I was amazed. My feet starting to grow weary, I kept walking. I walked until I felt like my legs were going to give out from underneath me, and then I walked some more. I walked until I felt like my body was begging for rest and kept walking. I walked until I physically couldn’t anymore and then I walked some more. I had to find the treetop walkway. It was a big walkway that brought you up to the tops of the trees and showed off the expansiveness of the gardens, the greens, and the city beyond. It was worth the walk and the climb up the stairs.
Finally, I had to give in. I had been walking for six hours and still didn’t get to see the entirety of the garden, but my body was begging me to stop. I found water and a snack and reflected on the beautiful journey I had just taken. When I return to England, this will be the first place I go.
Today we hop aboard a time capsule, traveling to the roaring 20s in New York. We’ve got a party to go to. Welcome to Gatsby’s house!
Leah, Grason, Brendan and I booked a ticket to the Gatsby Immersive Theatre experience during one of our first weeks in London. I will forever mark it as my favorite night in London, and maybe one of the best nights of my life.
We walked up the stairs to the theatre where a young gentleman in costume began telling us about the show we were about to experience. He warned us of all the flashing lights and prop gun shots. In his humorously abrasive New York way, he told us that the actors WERE going to speak to us, and we should respond. “When the actors begin speaking to each other, that’s your cue to shut your mouth! If you don’t, one of us will come along and … remind you. Also, those magical light up boxes you call phones. They don’t exist in the 1920s! Turn them off! If we see you with them, we will come along and smash them to pieces… unless you’re using them to pay at the bar of course!”
He then ushered us all into the room, where I was immediately dazzled. It was beautifully lit in ambient shades of blue, purple and gold. There were vines and flowers growing up the walls, golden details, and a group of beautiful instruments places underneath a chandelier in the corner of the room. Everyone was bustling about, getting a drink or finding a place on the stairs to sit. We had a bit of time before the show started so we decided to grab a drink. In true 1920s fashion, I chose to order a Bees Knees. Everyone who worked in the room could only be described as picturesque. They seemed perfectly placed to match the beauty of the room, the bartenders and the actors all bringing forth a sparkling irresistibility about them.
I began musing with Brendan that these were the kind of people I picture when I write my stories. I joked that the bartender looked like he could be written in as some sort of Grecian God, or fairy. Brendan agreed, he would fit into my story as Hade’s son or an angel of the night. Little did I know I was about to experience storytelling on another level, a night that really would inspire my next story.
Memory can be a slippery thing. Exact dialogue and words, pictures and senses can get blurred and lost in the elusiveness of a memory. As this was happening and immediately afterwards, I was desperately working to immortalize every moment of this in my mind, exactly as it happened. However, I think the fact that part of this will always remain secretly in the moment, sleeping in a deep recess of my brain is very suiting and almost the purpose of Fitzgerald’s story. Beauty too can be found in the things we can’t quite remember.
So, parts of this story will remain my secret, either by choice or because they have found a place to live within me that I cannot recall. But I will tell it the best that I am able.
It is something like a dream, this whole experience. As the soft beats of the music drifted through the room, we were discussing the different types of dances of the 20s and how we should’ve brushed up on our moves before we came to this dance party. We were already getting into the character of it all; donning New York accents and speaking as if we were really in this mansion, pining for a sighting of Gatsby. Brendan told us he knew how to dance the Charleston, so he stepped away from the bar with Leah and they began to dance together. This immediately attracted the attention of one of the actresses. A beautiful woman with short blonde hair and a scarf tied around her head. She was radiant and bright. I was immediately drawn into her. She chatted with us for a bit, and we were so pleased to have already gotten to talk to an actor before the show had even started. She asked all of us for our names and told us that hers was Myrtle.
She pointed out her husband who was one of the men working at the bar. I told her that she must be a lucky woman and she made a face and responded, “not so much.” She vented her complaints about him, including that he wouldn’t buy her a new dress. I told her that if I could buy her a new dress I would. She lit up and laughed with me. She leaned in and whispered that she has heard if you ripped your dress dancing that Gatsby would buy you a new one.
“Good thing I’m not wearing a dress I particularly care about then!” I joked. She laughed with me and after a bit more chatting, she went to go mingle with the rest of the guests, promising to find us later.
We took our drinks to the staircase and settled in a back corner, waiting for the show to begin. Myrtle came out of nowhere and grabbed us from our spot. “You all are too pretty to be stuck at the back, come up here to the front.” She pulled us by the arms to the front of the bar, a central seat to see the piano that had been pulled to the center of the room. Myrtle’s husband was no longer behind the bar and had taken his place at the keys. She called out our dancing skills to the whole room and asked her husband to play us something more upbeat so we could get into it! She pulled our group to the center and as the music began to pick up Leah and Brendan started dancing.
“I don’t know how to do that dance.” Grason confessed to me.
“Neither do I, let’s make it up as we go!” I responded, and we jumped in. The music was fast, and our feet were faster. Myrtle was thrilled as she watched us. For the next song she asked her husband to slow it down, and Grason and Brendan switched partners, so Brendan and I were dancing together. The man at the piano began jokingly playing an off-tune song about hanky panky, and we all laughed. Then he began playing the real slow song, and Myrtle invited everyone to dance. Afterwards the show began. The lights shifted dramatically, and Nick Carraway entered the scene and began monologuing, the same text from the beginning of the book! Gatsby could be seen out on his platform above the crowd, watching for Daisy. Then all the actors began talking to each other. They were alive, bouncing off each other and the audience with such spirit!
After their performance different characters pulled different sections of the audience into different rooms. Myrtle pulled our group of four aside and asked us to hang back with her. I was elated that we had made a friend at this party! She seemed to be coming to us for everything, and I loved it. She pulled us into the hallway right outside of one of the rooms and told us her lover was in there. “Who’s that man in there with him?” she asked, peeking through the door’s window, “he looks like a fish out of water!” She was referring to Nick Carraway of course. She asked us how she looked, it was important to her what the man in there thought of her. She asked if she should keep the apron or lose it and we advised that she should leave it in the hall. I began to catch on that this show was going to be even more interactive than I thought. She gave us a devilish grin and asked, “Should we make a big entrance?”
So, on her count of three we burst into the room, cheering, and shouting and yelling. Then we found our spots to stand in the room as the show continued. Although at this point it really didn’t feel like a show anymore. This room we had been pulled into was decorated completely differently, everything in red. It really did seem like a room in the house. We watched as Myrtle had a grand time, teasing and toying with her lover, Tom. Then Tom was teasing with Nick, the man he roomed with in college and told Myrtle to play with him a bit. She caught my eye and winked and then she went for it! This woman truly was a wild cat, jumping on top of Nick and pinning him to the couch, laughing wildly the more uncomfortable that he got. This continued until Myrtle and Tom decided that they needed to take a ‘phone call’ in the hall.
“Four minutes! Keep my friends in here entertained!” Tom instructed Nick. When he saw the look on his face he said, “Fine! Two minutes!” After some more poking fun at Nick, he left the room with Myrtle and the door began banging ferociously as Nick struggled to hold it shut, laughing awkwardly over the noise of the two lovers outside… taking a phone call. I’ll leave some of the next lines out for the sake of the cleanliness and classiness of this blog post.
When they came back in, after some more playing around, Myrtle began quizzing Tom on when he was going to get her those apartments, he had promised her. He scolded her for bringing it up in this context and their conversation escalated, her further pressing him until he got frustrated and struck her across the face. I was very taken aback and felt immediately sorry for Myrtle. I wished I could go to her. Nick tried to cover up the tense moment by talking to us. Then Daisy burst into the room. Tom’s husband. She asked if Nick had seen him anywhere and he lied right to her face. She seemed eased by his fib and left to go find him. He was forced to go back on his profession from earlier about what an honest man he is and asked us to keep what we had just seen a secret from Myrtle’s husband and Daisy, his cousin. He ushered us out of the room and to the hallway, where Daisy was waiting, and we did another little skit together in the hall where we let Nick practice flirting as if he was flirting with Jordan. Daisy was so charismatic and as she stood next to me, I was entranced. She asked me if I thought we should give Nick a hard time and I said that he needs to be prepared for anything that might happen.
“Oh, I like that. You have a very Jordan Baker way of thinking.” She told me. I felt like a little kid after receiving that praise from her. After this humorous scene was over, we went back to the party.
They performed another little scene with some fun music and then we were all pulled into separate rooms again, except our group got singled out again! This time by Tom. He pulled us into the corner and asked us to do him a favor. It was at this point that we began to be pulled between our real values and morals and what it would take to play along with the show. He asked us if we’ve ever told a white lie, and Brendan told him yes. He told us that we were standing outside of Myrtle and her husband George’s house. He told us that he could not be seen conversing with them and started a rant that was ‘scientifically proven’ about how poor people have fewer braincells and are much less articulate than us. He grouped us in with the people who he saw to be like him, and rather than say what we really wanted to say to him we all smiled and nodded along. He gave us a note to give to George about a deal he had made with him to sell him a car. With a mischievous grin, “if you want to have a little fun, make sure his wife finds the note first.” He then sent us on our way inside.
We came in to find a group of people listening to joyous music, George, and Myrtle among them. This room was altogether different, a picture of poverty; everything brown and grey, dusty, and worn. Myrtle grabbed the note out of Leah’s hand and it began a whole scene. She was furious with George, and he was denying that the note meant what she thought it did, he told her that she was reading it wrong, so she had an audience member read it out loud to her. The note said, “The deal is off.” They weren’t getting the car that they thought they were, meaning they weren’t going to be able to leave this place and start the new life that Myrtle wanted. The only thing she wanted throughout all of this was freedom. Freedom from this place, from this poverty, and from this man. He was quite awful. So, he left to go sort out the deal and Myrtle began commiserating with the audience, and I really felt for her. She didn’t know what to do, or where to go. She asked if anyone had ever been in love with two people at once. No one said anything, but she was very perceptive as she looked around the room and saw my slight nod.
“You have?”
“Yes, a long time ago.” I answered her.
“Well come up here, come here!” She exclaimed as she pulled me to the center of the room with her. “What was it like? What happened in the end, what did you do?” I told her a small bit of my story from my younger years and finished, “I ended up losing them both. Too much love will kill you.”
Now I want to interrupt the story here because you might be thinking that I was trying to spoil the story right here for everyone in the room. SPOILER ALERT FOR GREAT GATSBY AHEAD! If you know that Myrtle dies at the end, you might be thinking “Oh no, don’t ruin the interactive experience by telling her she’s going to die.” But this is not at all what I was trying to do. I was honestly just quoting the Queen song, trying to think of something deep and meaningful to say. I want you to keep this in mind as I tell the rest of my story: I did not know that Myrtle dies at the end. I’ve read the book, but I totally forgot what happens, it was a forced read a long time ago. I was really and truly experiencing this story live, for the first time. So yeah, it was about to get rough for little ol’ me.
Thankfully it was at this exact moment that Tom burst into the room, causing a riot with a couple of the audience members. Myrtle teased him and made a backhanded joke asking if he was going to hit her again to make her feel better. Tom apologized and asked the women he had come in with to show Myrtle what he had gotten for her. They opened the box, and it was a dog leash inside. Myrtle had been asking George for a dog, and never got one. It seemed to mend everything between them.
Then we played a riotous game of truth or dare. I won’t detail this because what happens during truth or dare, stays in truth, or dare. However, the audience all participated, and Myrtle spun the bottle to see whose turn it would be next. At the end she forced the bottle to land on Tom and again began quizzing him about her apartments. This ended in another uncomfortable conversation between them, and Myrtle became very upset. Everyone else went back to the party and she asked us to hold back.
She began asking for our advice, she was emotional, and my heart reached out to her. I gave her what comfort I could. Sadly, I can’t remember the exact words that we shared but I do remember how she made me feel: important, heard, connected. I was willing to go to the ends of the earth for this woman. At this point I couldn’t convince myself that these people were actors if I tried. It was the most believable and real performance and character work I’ve ever witnessed. She asked us to talk to Tom for her. This woman who longed for freedom and escape wanted to know that her scapegoat wasn’t going to fail her again. We promised that we’d talk to Tom for her and go about it in a way that wasn’t obvious but also to know for sure that he was being truthful. She had brought us into the first room with the red décor and we were sitting around the room with her, just the four of us and Myrtle. The level on which we got to connect and interact with her was so cool. This part was not scripted at all, we laughed with her, and had deep emotional talks with her.
Then she left us alone in the room to go get Tom. We all shared a look, very invested, and surprised at how this was going for us.
I shared my own mischievous smile and shared with the group “I’ve got a plan.”
Tom came into the room, and I immediately jumped up to shake his hand. I was committed, I was going to do what Myrtle was asking of me to the best of my abilities for her. We joked about the game of truth or dare and made sure that we connected with him first before we threw him into the fire. While we were discussing what had happened in the other room, I subtly slipped in the subject we were there to discuss.
“That woman of yours, Myrtle. She’s a firecracker of a woman.” He agreed with me, and we discussed how admirable she was. We then began discussing what she was asking from him. We talked about George and how he couldn’t give that to her. Then, I brought up Daisy. I put him on the spot a bit, asking him what his plans were. He confided in us that he was torn. What he wanted was to give Myrtle what she wanted and be with her, but he has a wife and a daughter. He really seemed genuinely sad and upset to be putting these women in this situation. He asked us what he should do. I shared some of my advice with him based on the story I had told Myrtle earlier. I told him that he needed to make a decision and figure out what he wanted, or he would end up losing everything.
“You’re very wise,” he said. “Are you a guru or something?” I laughed, and really took that compliment to heart.
“A woman like Myrtle doesn’t deserve to be kept waiting. And a woman like her won’t wait around for you forever.” I told him. “Deserve. That’s exactly the word for it,” he told me. “You’re right.”
The group and I pressed him further and tried to get a sense of whether he was telling the truth. He gave us ‘scouts honor’ that he was, and that he wanted to do right by Myrtle.
He asked us to tell her to wait for him. “Just one more week,” he promised. “I’ll make the deals I need to, get everything together. Tell Myrtle that George is suspicious about us so she has to keep all of this subtle and low.”
“And you’ll leave Daisy?” I asked.
“Yes, yes. I’ll talk to her, and I’ll leave her with some money.”
We took him at his word, so he went back to the party and Myrtle brought us back to her house. We gave her a recount of what was said, and she got so excited. I said, “remember when George mentioned something about Tom earlier, and you asked that man if you thought your reaction was noticeable when you heard his name and he said yes? Well Tom thinks that might’ve raised some suspicion and George might be on to you.” I can’t lie I was quite proud of myself for being able to tie in previous audience interactions with the current story. She asked us several times if we believed him and made us confirm that he really said those things. Then she was elated, and said she needed to start packing.
We went back to the party room.
“You’re brilliant.” Brendan whispered to me. I felt amazing.
This was one of my favorite parts of the night. Gatsby was in the room and Nick told him that he had someone he wanted him to meet. Daisy came in. She was stunning, wearing a different dress from before. She walked up to Gatsby, and I couldn’t help but vocally react with an “Ooooooh,” right as she was asking Gatsby what he thought. She turned her head and found my eyes in the audience and gave me the sweetest smile. “Well, someone likes it.” I told her she looked gorgeous, and she told us that someone in the audience had helped her pick it out and she thanked me. I felt so special.
We got to watch Daisy and Gatsby meet for the first time since all those years ago. The lighting was theatrical magic. The music was gorgeous. The way they looked at each other was pure love, undeniable and strong. It was like there was no one else in the room and they had never separated. I cried, of course. I had never seen two actors connect in such a deep and real way before. They were in love. They had their conversation and then they danced. It was amazing! Gatsby spinning and lifting Daisy, allowing her to fly. When they kissed at the end, flower petal confetti rained down. When the lights came back up, I grabbed a flower petal from the ground. I want it to be sewn into the inside of my wedding dress when I’m married, it can be my something old and my something blue. Yes, seriously it was that impactful.
Afterwards, George came in to clean up and began complaining to the audience about how ungrateful his wife is. He whined about how hard he works for her and how she never lifts a finger. Then she came in with her coat on, headed to the exit. He stopped her and asked what she was doing.
“I’m going to get a dog.” She told him.
This infuriated him. Really, he was mad to see her strong willed and standing up for herself. They fought and when she tried to leave, he grabbed her. The way that he was so aggressive made me want to jump in and help her. I felt this way several times, where I had to restrain myself from saying something or coming to her defense when he was becoming abusive. He screamed at her and demanded that she go back inside. She stormed back into the house.
At some point after all of this they called a little break for everyone to grab more drinks and mingle. I’m a bit fuzzy on the order of how things happened but I will never forget the peak of the party.
Daisy, Nick, Gatsby, and everyone came back in, joyous and ready to party. The lights changed and they asked if we were ready to dance. I quickly finished my drink and jumped onto the dance floor. The music picked up, fast, lively, and full of spirit. It was truly the roaring 20s! The lights were flashing, and everyone was moving and dancing without a care in the world. The next thing I knew I was in the middle of the crows and when I looked up Daisy and Gatsby were dancing with me! They were cheering me on, and we all laughed together as we danced. It was pure bliss. I felt more at home in my heart and soul than I have in a long time. Now I can say that I’ve danced with Gatsby and Daisy!
After the party, Brendan was pulled off. He ran back in to grab us and told us to follow him. I saw Myrtle standing at the bar looking upset and so I stopped to ask if she was alright. She told me that she wasn’t but that she’d be okay, and I should go ahead with my friends. We entered George and Myrtle’s house where a drunk George was waiting for us. He monologued and asked a couple in the audience how long they’d been together and if he thought his wife had ever been unfaithful. It was raw. He talked about the poverty they were facing and revealed his true hurt. Then Myrtle came in. She was not happy, and she really stood up for herself. She communicated her wishes. But then, George accused her of what we all knew to be true. He had found the leash in her dresser. She denied it. He got violent with her. This was all happening a foot in front of me, and I was livid. Suddenly the walls of the house were thrown open to reveal the party room. The walls of the bar turned into doors that opened onto the house. We could see the party room full of guests that hadn’t been brought into this room with us. We had to go back to the party but again, Myrtle asked us to stay behind and help her pack. She was going to leave. I grabbed her things and her coat and helped her stuff them in her suitcase. As she talked to us my heart was aching for her.
Somehow, we ended up back in the party room where we watched the final scenes of everyone doing business at the table. Tom and Gatsby got in a physical fight, after the famous lines of Gatsby telling Tom that Daisy never loved him. I was proud of Daisy for taking over and not letting them talk about her like she wasn’t right there. She claimed that she had loved Tom, but she did choose to go with Gatsby—in the yellow car.
Now I think we know where this is going at this point. The walls of the bar flew open. There was a car where the house used to be, headlights blaring. The fog came in. George came in holding Myrtle’s limp body and laid her on the table. I was distraught. I wanted to run to her, I wanted to cry. It might sound silly, but I felt true grief as she lay lifeless on the table. George threatened Tom until he told him that it was Gatsby who was driving the car.
George sat down at the piano and played a heartbreaking ballad he had been working on to his wife who could no longer hear his music. Only in death did she ever find escape.
We watched the end of the story unfold, where George shoots Gatsby. The prop gun was loud. Just like the beginning, Nick gave the monologue from the book and told us the rest of the story. We saw all the characters standing together, Tom and Daisy still there by each other’s side.
Then, all the characters came back out to sing one last song. Myrtle came out from right behind me and climbed up on the platform right above my head. How fitting. I watched her with admiration as she sang. One of the lines of the song was “There will always be a piece of me that is the version of myself I am tonight.” That line hit like a wrecking ball and I immediately latched on to it. That’s how I felt about tonight. I wanted to lasso the moon and the stars so I could turn it into an endless night. I never want to forget it.
After the show closed the actors bowed, the actor who played Nick spoke in a British accent which shocked us all. The accent work was incredible, I thought they were really from New York. We took pictures in the room after the actors left and then headed out. I saw the actors who played Nick, George, and Gatsby outside having a smoke and a drink. I waved at them and told them they had just given me the best night of my life. They were very flattered. I couldn’t stop thinking about it on the train back. I didn’t feel like I had stepped back into this reality yet, and I didn’t want to. It made me sad. I wanted to live in the world of dance and love where everything was roaring, and Myrtle Wilson was my best friend.
I found the actress on Instagram. I’ve discovered my new dream job. I would love to play Myrtle one day. I posted the pictures of us in the room, and she commented on my post! I was overjoyed. That reality I longed for wasn’t so far away after all.
What I’ve come to find about food in London is the meals get progressively more delicious throughout the day. I’ve enjoyed some great dinners, some good lunches, and the worst breakfasts of my life. (When beans, egg, and bacon are on a plate together and beans are the best of the three, something is very wrong.) Some of my best memories in London were spent drinking at pubs, eating fish and chips. The bar scene here is on a whole ‘nother level. In my hometown we may have a few good spots to drink and eat at around town that serve bar food, but here there are awesome pubs on every corner. They all hit the same too. They all have golden lettering above the entrances, and the name is always something regal like “the kings pub” or “her majesties tavern”. Truthfully some of my favorite fish and chip days were at the London pub right at our hotel.
I think my favorite food adventure was a crepe and pancake place called My Old Dutch Pancakes. It’s a brunch and lunch restaurant where the walls are pink, and the ceiling has flower beds on it and the food is so fantastic that I went back 3 times. The first time I got pancakes with chocolate chips with eggs and bacon, and get this, the bacon … was crispy. I nearly cried. The other time I went I got this crepe called “The Hot One.” It had peppers, cheese, onions, and chicken goujons (which is just fancy talk for chicken strips). The crepe was delicious but dry so I added some tabasco. It was pretty amazing. Food was certainly not something that I had on my mind when I chose to come study abroad in London, but I can honestly say that I was delightfully surprised by how much food I enjoyed here and many of my best memories from this trip will be food related, like this time I fed Brendan bacon like a Seal.
If I were to recommend one thing to anyone going to London it would be to see Life of Pi on West End. This play was so beautiful with its story telling through the use of projections, life size animal puppets, and a number of other special effects. One of the most incredible moments in the play was when Pi leaps out of the boat and into the water, in this moment the actor jumps on to the stage where blue water is projected and disappears through a rubber trap door. He then pokes his head up through another trap door on the other side of the stage to create the allusion that he has been swimming underneath the water/stage, it was like watching a magic trick.
Now as amazing as this was, the use of trap doors in theatre is nothing new, and when I visited The Victoria and Albert Museum, I saw one of the earliest models of a stage trap door from the 1800’s. This model was made out of wood and was called a star trap due to its triangular flaps that when folded out looks like a star. When I saw this model of trap door my first thought was how dangerous it looked. The description stated that the flaps were meant to open when actors would be launched through them at high speeds with the help of a mechanical weighted platform device. Unless they were wearing helmets, which of course they weren’t, launching your head through a wooden flay had to be so painful and dangerous. In addition to this, the doors only opened one direction, so I imagine that if you ever only made it halfway through the star trap and then went back, you would be stabbed from all directions by the wooden points.
Due to the dangers of the star trap, I’m sure that the type of up bobbing up and down performed by Pi in the production I saw never could have been done with this type of trap door back in the day. Still it was fascinating to see an older version of a modern device. It’s cool to see where technology starts especially when compared to what it has become. It’s funny how relatable people from 200 years ago can still be to us today especially as theatre lovers. Even though they didn’t have projections or fog machines, they had mechanical devices that still created spectacles and wowed audiences just like how we do now.
But seriously this is the sketchiest thing I have ever seen. There’s no way this didn’t kill people. It looks like that’s what it was made to do.
My impressions of stratford are good I would say. It is less loud than London, which is very nice. It still has quite a lot of people during its busy times. There are certainly a lot of restaurants for such a small town, this is definitely because it is a tourist town.
The trip was London to Stratford upon Avon was really not that bad, it was about three and a half hours on the bus. It was super hot outside but the bus had air conditioning and was pretty cold which really made the trip a hundred times easier. Hearing that it was a four day journey in Shakespeare time was crazy! Having to camp for three nights, in the woods, with the danger of wolves and thugs is quite the trek. The food in this little town has been quite delicious. The afternoon teas were some of my favorite here. Today was quite fun because we went to a cat cafe! It was home to eleven cats, three of which were tiny little playful kittens from the same litter. I recently lost my cat of 15 years so it was very nice, but also emotional invoking to be around so many cats. Im glad we ate upstairs, because the downstairs seating smelled like a litter box, because thats where they were kept. If we had to stay and eat down there, I think i would have had a much different experience. Before the cat cafe we ate at Nando’s. Overall, it was a 7/10. The food was fine and all of the sauces tasted very similar. They were all essentially a buffalo sauce base, or tasted like someone had mixed in a couple herbs to a mild taco bell sauce.
We also visited Anne Hathaway’s cottage. It was a very cute plot of land, being home to many trees, shrubbery, and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare stories. And there would be a little plack that had the play name and the quote of the aforementioned item in nature. There was also some statues and art pieces scattered around the land. Some of which were more straightforward, and some of which were interpretive. Which I quite enjoyed.
Overall I loved this trip to London. Now im going to sleep for the next 20 hours.
I have really enjoyed Stratford-Upon-Avon. London was thrilling and busy, but I prefer a more peaceful atmosphere. I got to experience some of England’s famous rainy days. There was an abundance of vegetation and flowers. The buildings were brick and had lower ceilings. It reminded me of my love for the country and fresh air. We did not need any transportation and strolled about the town and out to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. The town goes to bed very early even though the sun has not set by 9. It was amazing to see where Shakespeare was born, lived, and died as well as his wife’s historic residence. The air smells so sweet in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I got to inhale the scents of many fragrant flowers.
Outside of our group activities, I had a blast going to the Tudor World Ghost Tour and the Butterfly Farm. I also enjoyed meandering through the narrow streets and exploring markets. There was an astounding number of ducks and swans by the Lake. After seeing so much of Shakespeare’s history and picking up a few souvenirs, I really regret that I did not see one of his plays. Nonetheless, I was enraptured by the history and beauty of this smaller town. It was a perfect way to end our journey.
Hampton Court Palace
There were so many things I enjoyed about my trip to England but one of them has been consistently blogging about my experiences. The food, plays, architecture, art, history, and company were unforgettable. While quite a few of our group plays were disappointing for me, I still enjoyed the theatre experience more than I expected. It was also impactful to hear the opinions of knowledgeable theatre minds and then compare our thoughts. A few of my absolute favorite things were the Tube, coffee, The National Gallery, Life of Pi, Hampton Court Palace, and Waterstones. Everyone can find something to enjoy in London. Make sure you research the museums, restaurants, shops, bookstores, or plays you are interested in before you make the trip. This was a journey of a lifetime, and I am glad I got to share it with so many.
Hi guys! Today is a hard post to make because it’s our last day in the UK. I can’t believe just how quickly the time has passed, and how much I enjoyed my time here. I will reminisce on my London thoughts later in this post, so for now let’s just talk about my day.
Beef and ale pie from The Dirty Duck
We started off with a lovely full English breakfast at the Linhill House. Our English breakfast consisted of ham, egg, mushrooms, sausage, and beans. I’m glad I got the English breakfast at least once, and I’m especially glad I got it here because the portions were manageable! I think what made it extra worth it was the sweet old man in an apron that cooked it all for us. It was a very cozy and nice start to my day!
Anne Hathaway’s cottage
The slug
After breakfast, our group met up outside and we talked about the game plan for traveling to the airport tomorrow. It was recommended we get to the airport 4 hours before our plane leaves due to staff shortages; however, there are no coaches that could pick us up any earlier than 9 am. To get to the airport, it is a two hour drive, and then my flight is at 1:40. I am one of the lucky ones that will be able to have 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to my flight; however, some leave before me, and I am anxious on their behalves. If we don’t make it, I guess there will be a “London Day 28” blog!
Shakespeare’s grave
Once we talked about the flight situation, we made our way over to Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Anne Hathaway’s cottage was a lot like Shakespeare’s birthplace, which was very quaint and full of gardens. I think I liked the cottage more than his birthplace only because it was more spacious, and it seemed like a place I would live in myself! While I was there, I got to hang out with Brendan and Hailey in the gardens, and as we were talking, a slug fell out of a tree and right onto Brendan’s jacket- how cool!
Inside of the Holy Trinity Church
We walked from the cottage to the Holy Trinity Church that houses Shakespeare’s burial. The church was small and had beautiful stained glass everywhere. It felt like the whole community of this church were very close since there were side conversations happening between members everywhere, and there were some sweet older ladies selling homemade desserts to help support the church.
The Shakespaw Cat Cafe
We were able to do things on our own after the church, so all of us headed to Nando’s for food, and then a majority of our group went to a cat cafe. The cat cafe was named Shakespaw, and it was awesome! The cats were very sweet and sociable which is rare in a cat cafe, and I even had my last cream tea while I was there. I think my favorite cat was one of the long haired ones with a very smushed in face. He looked like a gremlin, and for some reason I felt like his name should’ve been Sweet Baby Ray’s… if that makes sense.
Inside the cat cafe
I also got to go to a market where I bought an adorable and inexpensive pearl bracelet. The food at the market smelled so good, I almost wish I didn’t get Nando’s (heavy on the almost). The market was also filled with dogs, which made me miss my family dog, Hurricane. I’m happy I get to see her soon!
Another sleeping cat
When I got back to the Linhill House, I bought some things for my small business to get a head start on packaging, and I took another nap. I slept until it was time for dinner at The Dirty Duck. This was our last hoorah as a group, and the food was fabulous! I got tomato soup as a starter, a beef and ale pie as my main entree, and an apple & blackberry crumble for dessert. The food was surprisingly really good! I am not the biggest fan of British cuisine, so I was not expecting to like the food as much as I did.
My last cream tea
Is this a cat?
Once we finished our hearty meals, we went back to the hotel to pack and write our final blogs. I have heavily enjoyed my time in Stratford. Even though we were robbed of our King Lear experience (by the fault of no one!), I got my Shakespeare fix while in Stratford Upon Avon. It was interesting to see where he and his wife lived, because these places were the origins of what turned the quiet town of Stratford Upon Avon into a beautiful, yet slightly touristy, destination. Since Stratford Upon Avon is a far removed town from the more populous London, it gives you a sense of how popular Shakespeare’s manuscripts really were. The plays were able to travel quite a distance, and they even had the Globe Theatre dedicated to them in London! This town also gave me the overarching feeling of “humble beginnings”, and I am more than thrilled that I got to explore what it had to offer.
Apple & blackberry crumble from The Dirty Duck
Another cat
Now for my thoughts on London as a whole… what more is there to say other than that I loved every moment of it? I loved the sights, the people, the greenery, the wildlife, the experiences, and especially the knowledge I gained from it. There is so much to learn from the melting pot that is London, and there is also so much fun to be had. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what there is to be done here. I never expected to love this trip to the extent that I did, as I am not used to being in a foreign country away from home for so long. This ended up being the PERFECT city to test my limits, and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to do so. I also would like to thank my fellowship for making a lot of this financially possible for me, and I likely would not have had this amazing and life changing journey without it. That being said, one day I hope to be back, and I will strive to be a London pro.
Theatre in London U of A 