Description

The program is a two-week seminar in London in January, covering the historic and cultural traditions inherent in British Theatre. Program directors will select plays which offer unique insight into those traditions as seen in the theatre. The seminar will discuss six plays in depth. Other plays are added to the seminar as they become available. Tickets will include the best available at venues ranging from West End to Fringe to experimental Theatres.

This course introduces students to the historical, political and socio-cultural attributes of theatre in London, the artistic and intellectual hub of theatre in the English speaking world. Students attend performances of plays in commercial, fringe, ethnic, and cross-cultural venues throughout the city and its environs. Plays are discussed and contextualized in a series of on-site classes which are supplemented through visits to museums, galleries, historic sites and tours of theatres and other venues.

Students also participate in hands-on professional workshops. Additionally students are asked to engage in London's culture by participating in a socially responsible project. This experience is intended to culminate in a broader understanding of contemporary western culture through a synthesis of history, art, and society viewed through the lens of Theatre.

Ample free time is provided for seminar members to discover their own London or to pursue special interests that they may have. Whether at the Food Halls of Harrods or Fortnum and Mason's; or the designer's shops on King's Road; or the outdoor antique booths on Portabello Road; or "grunge" stalls at Camden Lock; or the elegant Victorian interiors of public houses (pubs), participants are encouraged to come away with a special insight into this culture.

The seminar takes place in and around the city of London with regularly scheduled class meetings. Within London students visit the Actor's Church in Covent Garden, the Globe Theatre, the National Theatre and Camden Lock. Trips are planned outside the city, previous programs visited Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Greenwich or Windsor.