The Sandspur

Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: News

During Spring Break (March 9-18), the London Lively Arts and Field Study class went abroad. The class consisted of Billy Czekaj,
Allie Ronayne, Angelica Garcia, Charles Moore, Jennifer Sukkert, Jennifer Raby, Jessica Muff s, Julia Cole, Kelly Castino, Linette Davis, Marie Redling, Mike Nardelli,
Mike Maples, Nancy Chaves, Nils Helset, Samar Sultan, Sean Dooley, and Trevor O'Brien, Victoria Palace, Me, and Dr. Boles, Mrs. Boles, and their daughter Emma. Emma proved to be the entertainer of the group throughout our journey.

Our first day getting there, we basically had to ourselves. I personally went out to exchange my dollars for pounds and to buy a
memory card for my camera. The next day Sunday was also free. I recall Billy, Allie, and Trevor going to Stonehenge while I and
Kelly went to Camden. Others went out and about. Marie went to go see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace where the
queen resides. The next day was the start of our classes. We joined Dr. Boles in the lobby of our hotel to go to the National Gallery.

There we saw many paintings related to biblical stories that proved fascinating. Mrs. Boles proved to be a great lecturer. Later that night, we saw "Attempts on Her Life." This play came to a disappointment for most of us. On Tuesday, we left to go to
the Tate Modern to look at more paintings.

This time they dealt more with surrealism and impressionism. They seemed confusing to
some of us but dealt with a great amount of meaning and affection toward love, peace, and war. Later that night, we saw "The Seagull" by Anton Chekhov. This play proved to be a great comeback from Attempts on Her Life. It definitely got me back interested
in the plays. Wednesday came out to be a fun day. As a group, we went to see the British Museum. We saw tons of pyramid sculptures
and ruins in Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other great ancient empires. We also got to see the Rosetta Stone-making this trip a huge bonus.

We then saw a matinee play called "The Dumb Waiter" by Harold Pinter. It was a comedy
dealing with a hitman and a waiter. Of course, in all these plays the actors had British accents. On Thursday we went to tour
the Globe Theater. It was located in southern London-away from downtown London. It was an extremely interesting occasion for
all of us. On Friday, we met with an American Theatre critic named Matt Wolf.

He has been in London for thirty years to study the plays in all the theatres of London. He proved to know his information and background well-answering key questions about the theatre. That night, we saw "Someone Else's Shoes" by Drew Pautz as well as a stand up comedian-Lucy Porter. Lucy showed to be extremely open and flirtatious.

I so happened to be the person she called on and told stories. However, I thought it was absolutely hilarious as everyone else. Our last day, Saturday, we saw "The Soldier's Fortune." This was the last play we would see before leaving. It was an interesting play dealing with 17th-18th Century military views. It was a bit long but was decently planned out.

Throughout the trip we were required to see two plays on our own, visit at least five places, keep a daily journal, and write a seven page paper. The two plays I saw were "Spamalot" and "Wicked." Spamalot was a spoof from Monty Python's "Quest for the Holy
Grail." It was absolutely hilarious. I cannot recall a time where I laughed harder. The second play, Wicked, was excellent as well. It was a prequel to "The Wizard of
Oz," telling the story of the wicked witch of the west. It was absolutely fantastic.

As of right now, I am glad I went on the trip. It was definitely worth it.

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