Sit down everyone cause I'm about to throw a LOT at you.
Today began with our usual Pret a Manger run, we cannot function without our first of five coffees for the day (that's right, you heard me₁) A few of us go together in the morning before our classes, and if you ask me it's a really great way to start my day with coffee that's practically free at this point. Eventually, we met up with the rest of our classmates and began our walk to our class for today which was at UEL (University of East London) in Stratford.
Now, usually, this would be a pretty chill day. HOWEVER, this day was anything but. Today London's highest temp was a whopping 37°!! For those in the States, that's 99°. We've been dreading it for days, we even prepared for the trains to close. It ended up not being the worst thing in the world. Luckily we were inside all day workshopping with a couple of incredible artists (as well as enjoying some air conditioning).
After meeting with Liselle Terret for a bit we began our first workshop of the day with two powerful women Vishni Velada and Sam Adams. Velada is the Head of Participation at the Royal Court Theatre while Adams works as an HCPC registered Dramatherapist, consultant, visiting lecturer, and academic researcher. Both practitioners started our workshop off by blasting The Black Eye Pea's "Where is the Love" and entering the room, immediately setting the tone for our time together. Students danced and cheered each other on, it was a really great start to the class. As the workshop went on we participated in many different activities that helped us get into our bodies and be really present with not only one another but with ourselves. One of my favorites had to be when we were all dancing together towards the end, however, this wasn't your average dancing. The main objective of this activity, called Murmurations, was simply to mirror your partner's moves and eventually take the reigns yourself. As the artists scaffolded the activity our groups grew a few more times until the whole class was dancing as one (see video below). Ultimately it was a really great workshop. For myself, I found this time with Velada and Adams really enrichening and liberating. I could go on and on but there's another workshop I'd like to share.
After a quick lunch break with the besties, we met with Rob Lehmann, the director
of Young Lyric at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. He began our workshop by sharing a short slideshow about Young Lyric and the really cool things they do for young theatergoers. I highly recommend checking out their website₂ Rob took us through a multitude of different activities-between "Bim, Bam, Name" and "Hi, my name is...." he taught us the distinction between a competition and an exercise and how they function in an arts space. A really fun game we played was called Magic Carpet (or Floor is Lava in the states) where two teams of eleven had to work together to get their team across the room using only two pieces of paper. They couldn't touch the floor or rip or slide the paper. It was pretty chaotic which I think is best expressed in some of the videos and pictures I've added below. I personally think this was a great ensemble activity with a bit of healthy competition (healthy for most, salty for some).
Following this activity, we had an awesome time recreating some of our childhood favorite stories. All in all, it was a really great day. Not just because it was so informative and fascinating, but because we as a class really enjoyed ourselves. Through the joy and the liberation, we invested all of ourselves in the work, and in my opinion, that's when the magic happens.
XOXO,
Erin Smith (A London Lady)
₁ Refer to Christine Skorupa's blog on July 15 regarding our Pret coffee deal
By Molly-Ann Nordin Another beautiful morning here in London! I awake to sunshine, fresh coffee from the french press, and scrambled eggs with my new friend and flatmate before meeting the whole group and rushing off to East London University. We have a busy day of workshops ahead of us, and the group is especially excited because today is the first day we get to work with REAL STUDENTS! AHH! We spend the first half of the morning getting acquainted with our new 14-15 year old collaborators through games like, "Go", and connecting through games that utilize gesture, improvisation, and creating images in small groups that represent where we live, the perception of where we live, and followed by time to discuss and process what we all have observed and learned from one another. After a quick break we meet with our workshop leader, Mia Cunningham. My notes grow increasingly chaotic as I try to keep up with the brilliance of Mia as she leads us through an extremely profound exer...
Welcome fellow traveler! Picture it...Me..writing this blog...a fellow traveler! We must have bumped paths because of our shared interest in the treasure, that is, theatre. As we head to Stratford-Upon-Avon in the wee waking hours of the morning, I prepare myself for a day full of Shakespeare. As Jonathan Jones once said to us, Shakespeare set "off to the war of theatre" which is what we are about to do today, be the Shakespearean crusaders. Above you see above the beautiful swans that were once said to be the theatre mongrel's pets. Shakespeare loved playing with the swans and ducks between writing the tragedies that are King Lear and Richard III. I, too, love watching the swans glide through the river like beautiful olives in a martini. With the rise of the alleged "swanpox" and "bird-flu" outbreak, we all made sure we took all of our sanitary precautions when feeding the beasts. Follo...
I wake up to the clattering of dustbins, reversing trucks restocking Tesco shelves, and the murmur of footsteps as people start trickling through Clerkenwell Green on their daily commute. Since I have a family in tow for this class, I’m living outside of the NYU residence - a stone’s throw from what, I am shocked to learn, used to be “the most disreputable street in London” in Shakespeare’s time. How scandalous! Early morning in Clerkenwell Green - my little piece of London Today, though, Clerkenwell is a quaint, leafy patch of life that is hidden from the bustle of the city. It feels like a village. There’s a grand church perched on a hill and lots of pubs with flowery facades that attract larger congregations than the parish. And I’m smack in the center of all this, sandwi...
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