Thinkers, Lovers and Dreamers

Well it's been a busy week. You know, seeing shows and turning twenty and all. ;) Lets jump back.

Last friday we had classes, i got out at 3:30 and ran to the Globe theatre to get Tickets and then flew home, took a quick shower and headed back to Kensington High Street. A few of us (Ann, Geoff, Sienna and Aylia) wanted to check out Jazz Piano Bar we always pass by. It was SO NICE. But they reserve the place weeks in advance, but because it was so early we no one was there yet, so we got to sit down for a little while and listen to the pianist. It was great. We're getting a reservation and going again soon! Then we decided to head home and check out "Ben's Thai", which is a thai resturant above our local pub. IT WAS SO YUMMY! SERIOUSLY!!! I LOVED IT! And then we came home and we had a little move night with Peter Pan! It was lots of fun just to have a simple night, and to chill! I loved it!

Saturday i did some work and then headed out to Kensington High Street to do some errands with Sinead. Went to our little cupcake place. We're also, i must say, in love with the boy who works in the cupcake place. It's rather silly, since practically everyone fancies him. But, yes the cupcakes are fantastic too. We also just wanted to walk around a bit. After some lunch, we headed home and i got ready for Inherit the Wind.

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Inherit the Wind was brilliant. I went by myself, and loved every moment. It so took me back to Sophomore year! But i certainly appreciated the play much more now! First off, Kevin Spacey was...perfection. His speeches were so moving and inspiring. It's such a great play, with really lovely and moving moments. It's very powerful, if it's done right--and this was. It is very strange watching a british cast putting on an american (southern american) play. I think some of their accents were a little weak, which surprised me. And the space was HUGE. The Old vic itself, the seating, isn't too big. I was sitting first row circle (or mezz) but the stage was HUGE. I thought it went on forever. It went so deeply back, which worked so well. And i also loved how they kept all the music in, and i believe added some. I worked so well and added so much to the production. I also really loved the man who played the Journalist, he's such a great character and he sounded perfect. I walked away in such a state of awe. Especially since at least half the audience gave a standing O. Which is rare here.

Sunday was also lots of fun! I did some work in the morning and then we headed back over to the Globe to see Loves Labor's Lost! It was a very fun show! I have never read or seen it, and i really liked it! It had a lot of physical comedy, and i thought the production was really great! It's so interesting how they transform the stage for every show! It was SO completely different! We had lots of fun! During the interval the actors came on with some cheese and grapes and one came over to us. She had sienna try to catch the grape, so she through it from the stage and SIENNA CAUGHT IT! The entire crowd clapped for her! It was lots of fun :D

Sienna and Me

In the beginning the musicians came on and played for us! It was so much fun, and he was so close i decided to take an illegal picture, thus the angle ;)

Isn't she cute ;)

Then when i got back home Sinead and i grabbed some work and we took the tube to Regents Park. It's so beautiful! Our destination was Primrose Hill which overlooks some of the city!

I snagged one of my faves, a glass coke! <3

But the park really is so beautiful! We've had some great luck with parks, and it's so much fun to find a nice spot and just do some work. Although it was a little chilly!

It was lots of fun, there were so many people to watch, and lots of puppies! :D Eventually we got too chilly, so we walked home (it was so much closer than the tube lets you think). We found a cafe and kept doing work and then we headed home.

It was a lovely weekend, and i can't believe i got to see so many shows!

Now time to work on some monologues, more later!

Cheers, T

Orientation Day 2 and 3

I don't know how long the internet will hold, it's been really bad lately but i'll get as much as i can in!

Alright well Day two of orientation was great. We went on a walking tour with our Tutor, Michael Winter, through Kensington (which is where the LDA is). The picture above is from one of the apartment complexes around Kensington Square. They are gorgeous. Another thing I’ve notices (and you may have too) is that the sky looks BRILLIANT in all these pictures. It's amazing. It's so blue. Anyway we learned a lot about all the different architecture of these buildings and about different statues along the way. Like this one of King...Albert I believe? It's gorgeous, and surrounding him are figures of painters, sculptors, artists and writers. I took a close-up pictures of Shakespeare (of course) and Homer.

(this is the Royal Academy of Music)

We walked around for a bit longer and then had a nice lunch break where Sienna, Sinead, Aylia and i found this fantastic little French cafe right near the school. It was delicious, and Sinead and i shared the most wonderful tart. I seriously cannot stop thinking about it--i want another one RIGHT NOW.

And then we had a few different meetings about some of our upcoming academics. And to finish the night off we got to see Troilus and Cressida at the Globe.

(another view from Millennium Bridge)

Later, our professors apologized and said that not everything we would see would be that terrible. Which surprised me because I really loved it. But thinking about it, I probably loved it because a.) we were at the globe, standing beside the stage (actually leaning on the stage). B.) Troilus was quite handsome. C.) I love the show. D.) The magic of being there.

(Aylia! Haha, we were very excited!)

(This is Sienna and Me)

But I honestly do believe that it was a good production. Troilus and Cressida were a little too modern, and if you read my earlier post you’ll know what I think about Cressida. I still really didn’t like (nor did I agree with) her performance. It was so wonderful being right against the stage. It was such a different prospective. I really loved it. We were on the side, so some of our view was obstructed (which was ok with me because I had see it) and it was so great. The actors were right there; I could reach out and steal a sword. It’s hard to control the longing to just jump up and join them. And I must say it gets difficult to stand that long once you reach the fifth act…but it’s so worth it.

(our view right along the stage. We literally leaned there the entire time.)

Orientation Day three. Had some individual meetings with Voice and Alexander teachers. Then we had another tour of the Banquet House and the Houses of Parliament. It was really really interesting and lots of fun!

(That's Michael Winter, our Shakespeare Tutor :D)

(Paintings in the Ceiling of the Banquet House)

(Houses of Parliament)

(Sinead and Big Ben!)

We got out at 5 and had the rest of the evening to ourselves. I decided to finally go see (500) Days of Summer. WHICH I LOVED. Of course. I loved the dance sequence. Come on, you have to admit you’ve had that moment when you’re walking down the street, so happy you could just break into a huge dance number. I think it’s brilliant. Life should so be like this…where everyone just joins in. Seriously.





And today i just spent walking around. I really wanted to find some reliable internet which failed miserably. It's been off and on today. I bought the 500 days of summer soundtrack and a scarf. AND I FINALLY FOUND TROILUS AND CRESSIDA at the 3rd bookstore i tried (in Notting Hill). And now i'm just back home doing lots of work getting ready for the crazy week ahead. We have class like 12 hours day. It's going to be so much work but lots of fun i hope <3

Hopefully (if internet and time allows) i'll get back to you all sometime this week. Let you know i'm alive and all.

Cheers!
-T