British Museum

On a cold and rainy day, we visited Europe's largest museum, with its 8 million objects and 2.5 miles of galleries. Joanne took us around the highlights -- the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marble sculptures, the Korsad sculptures and the wall reliefs from the palace of Nineveh, the Sutton Hoo burial and the Lewis chessmen were among the treasures we saw.

This lion from Assyria reminds us of our TCNJ roots.

A four-alarm day

In fire fighting parlance, a four-alarmer is a fire that calls out trucks from 4 different towns or fire stations, and Wednesday 4 January was a four alarmer. We walked about 10 miles!

First was a walking tour of spots in London that Shakespeare would have known, from the London Bridge, to the Southwalk Cathedral to sites of many southbank entertainment venues such as the Rose and the Bear Gardens and the Globe, to St. Paul's and the Blackfriars theatre and the Inns of Court.

Second, we had a lovely lunch at the Middle Temple, the medieval banquet hall in the Inns of Court in which Twelfth Night was performed for the first time in February 1602.

Third, we were off to tour the British Library and its Treasures Gallery, including the Magna Carta and the Lindisfarne Gospels and the manuscript of Beowulf.

Fourth in this amazing day was a trip to the Sam Wanamaker theatre to see "The Little Match Girl and Other Happier Tales," which needs a separate post! 

Love's Labours Lost and other stories

We saw our first play Friday night--Love's Labour’s Lost--performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in the beautiful Theatre Royal Haymarket. Saturday we went to see Much Ado about Nothing. Tonight the students debated which of these incredible productions was better in their eyes. I could not be happier with the discussions we are having!

We have been busy. Today we began the New Year with a trip to the Imperial War Museum.

And we're off!

After a long flight and a bus ride into central London, our students have arrived. Thanks to our amazing CEPA coordinator, Greer, we even have a picture with all of us in it.

On our way!

I ruined our first pre-departure selfie, but Professor Steinberg indulged me long enough to produce a second. We are just waiting for our plane. We will have one day's lead time on our students so that we can remember our names by the time they arrive.

Little Match Girl -- Some old favorites

Folks, I've found an online review of our production of The Little Match Girl and Other Happier Tales in The Guardian at this link It's a very brief read, and worth skimming over. The "other happier tales" of the title are favorites of mine; The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor's New Clothes, and Thumbelina. As with the best programming suitable for children, this production has its adult moments as well.

Please take a moment to read the review and comment on your favorite tales. I directed Once Upon a Mattress (the musical of Princess and the Pea), and its a fun fairy tale.

Like a travelling Edwardian vaudeville show … The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian

Why Drama?

Why is drama such a great medium for a class? Unlike novels, which are meant to be read privately at one's own leisure, drama is meant to be consumed in a group of other theatre-goers who will respond together to the production choices and to the dramatist's and director's vision. If we were going to London to read and discuss a series of "London novels" such as Bleak House and Mrs. Dalloway and Absolute Beginners we would spend much of our learning time alone with these somewhat lengthy novels. We are, however, going to spend much of our learning time together in the theatre.

Many undergraduates are not fans of reading the plays of William Shakespeare. Seeing them performed by trained actors, however, brings them to life in unexpected ways. Shakespeare never wrote his plays hoping that schools would teach them, but instead hoping that ordinary folks would purchase entrance to his theaters and hear his plays. We are following in a long tradition of Londoners who have happily done so.