Stratford

So Stratford upon Avon has been an interesting experience. The whole town is a bit of a mix between old and new. There are just as many seniors (if not more) walking the streets of Stratford as there are UCLA students. There are Tudor style buildings erected during Shakespeare's lifetime and modern buildings. There's the White Swan, an old Tudor-style home turned hotel. And there's the Stratford upon Avon Holiday Inn (where we are staying)! Everywhere you go here there seems to be that stark contrast between old and new.

The same rings true for the performances of the Royal Shakespeare Company. While the director keeps the setting for Julius Caeser in the time period for which it is written, she uses other devices of the 21st century such as projection screens in order to generate the massive amounts of people needed for the crowd scenes after Caesar's assassination and the war scenes of the second half of the play.

Classes here have been more varied in that we have heard from the costume designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company, assistant director of As You Like It, and the actor who played Brutus in Julius Caesar. We are scheduled also to hear from two more actors within the week. It is nice to be able to hear their perspectives on the play and the preparations that go into the productions. I like that we are getting a more hands-on experience here in Shakespeare's home town!

On a side note, I went to Oxford University yesterday. It was beautiful! It was a mix between city and countryside. Definitely a college town. I liked the atmosphere and it was cool to visit England's oldest college. Unfortunately I didn't make it early enough to see the inside of their massive library =( but the bookstore was quite massive in it's own respects. I'm hoping to get the chance to visit Cambridge as well once we get back to London next Tuesday.