Tommy Mathis is a 20-year-old UCLA English major from San Diego, Calif. This UCLA junior has been to England before, but knows this trip will be different. "I'm looking forward to fun, friendship and good times," he writes. "I'm not sure about the particulars, but I know it's gonna be a blast. Perhaps, navigating a different country with no parents to help out. It's time to grow up."
Shakespeare fave: Sonnet 130,
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sunMy mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Aug 06, 2009
Cheerio from foggy London town!
Well... as a matter of fact, it hasn't been all that foggy, but it has at times
been wet. London is great, a lot of fun — stuff is happening left and right!
But let us begin at the beginning. When I got off the tube from the airport at
the Holborn stop, I realized that I had almost no idea which way to go. Rather
than ask for directions, since that would prove I'm a tourist, I decided to
randomly wander the streets of London, lugging a 50-pound suitcase along with
me (which I'm sure was totally inconspicuous, and didn't reveal that I was a
tourist...NOT).
But it's easy to find a pub...
Aug 06, 2009
Monday,
we saw our first live Shakespeare play: The Winter's Tale. It's an odd story,
but was extremely well-done by the cast. There were some very well-acted roles,
and some pretty famous faces. Ethan Hawke played Autolycus, a goofy cutpurse,
more skillfully than I expected. There were some other famous celebrities whose
names I can't recall right now. But the lighting was superb. I was able to snap
a few pictures before and after the show that really are beautiful. The Old
Vic, where we saw the performance, is really a gorgeous venue, and a great space
to perform.
Wednesday, a man named Ben Crystal came to
talk to us. He performs Shakespearean plays and sonnets, and has written a few
books. He went over his allotted time (by an hour and a half!) but it was still
really fun. He was really passionate about Shakespeare's works, and pushed
understanding and interpreting the plays through performance even in the
classroom, as opposed to treating the plays simply as works of literature.
Next: I volunteer to perform and thus fall on the floor.
