Last Days in Stratford-upon-Avon

Hello everyone!

Due to being slightly under the weather, I haven't been able to post the last couple days. However, they have been interesting nonetheless. On Wednesday, we participated in a stage combat class, which was something that I've never done before. We partnered up and essentially played with swords for about three hours. It takes a ridiculously long time to learn a routine, much less perform it on stage. Additionally, the swords that McKinley and I bravely volunteered for, were extremely heavy. We learned a few techniques and the fight sequence from Macbeth between Macduff and Macbeth. It was a very nice afternoon doing something that I've never done before.

Last night, we saw our final production of the program at the Royal Swan Theatre. Sadly, it was not Shakespeare but Philip Massinger's The City Madam. The story is set in the early 1600s in London and is mainly about social climbing. The main character, Luke Frugal, is a poor merchant who gains control of his brother's land. Once becoming rich, he creates havoc among the other characters in the play and claims that "those with money, have no conscience". The play involved quite a few interesting characters and I think the majority of the group liked it overall. However, watching a different play other than Shakespeare, reminds me of how good Shakespeare is with language. Shakespeare's characters, plots and lines are all more intense than a lot of the other plays I've seen. He often has many plots going on at once with many themes to be applied at the end. After this program, I can safely declare that Shakespeare is the greatest playwright that ever lived. He may also be the best overall writer as well.

After completing the play part of the program, we all talked about which plays were our favorites. Mine are as follows:

1.       Richard III-Kevin Spacey's performance was unmatched

2.       The Merchant of Venice

3.       Much Ado About Nothing-Loved David Tennant

4.       The City Madam

5.       All's Well That Ends Well

6.       Macbeth

Tomorrow, we have our final project where we will act out the wedding scene from Much Ado About Nothing. I'm playing Hero in this particular assignment. Tomorrow is unfortunately, our last day in Stratford-upon-Avon and the United Kingdom in general.

AL