Bruins in Bardland: UCLA Today

All's well that ends well

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:47:00 GMT

The title of Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well doubles nicely as a parting phrase for the Bardland blog. A full 100 posts since we started, the month-long trip has ended and the plays have all been seen. Hopefully, you enjoyed the ...

A summary of the trip in quotations

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:27:00 GMT

"Too hot, too hot!" From the play The Winter's Tale, spoken by the king, Leontes, when he (wrongly) suspects that his wife is having an affair. Used multiple times a day in reference to a variety of things, including the temperature on ...

A dream come true, and connections deeper than Facebook

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:55:11 GMT

I open this final post with a mild plea for the reader to bear with me for a bit. It's hard for me to not sound overly sentimental when I look back on my experiences in London and Stratford. For one thing, I have wanted to visit England since 5th ...

A photo-retrospective of the downpour in The Globe

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Looking back on the trip, one of the best/worst nights was at The Globe Theatre, where it poured all through the performance of As You Like It. Here are some of my pictures:I thought it would be entertaining to take pictures through my poncho ...

Prawn chips? Thanks but no thanks!

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:46:00 GMT

Time to share the top five "no-thank-you" moments. Don't get me wrong, England is a lovely place, but there were definitely a few things that took me a while to get used to. 1. The food. You have no idea how hard it is to find a ...

Fish, chips and the royal treatment

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:37:15 GMT

At The Globe pub, left to right: bloggers Kelsey Comes and Erin Pendleton, owner H.R., and bloggers Kristine Miller and Sarah Evans.Editor's note: Kristine wrote this post on Aug. 4, while in London, before departing to Shakespeare's hometown, ...

Back From London

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:45:00 GMT

The Shakespeare program, from start to finish, has been absolutely wonderful. Lacking both a computer and good source of Internet while traveling, my first blog post is being reported after the fact as a retrospect on the entire experience. ...

The top 10 of the entire trip, part III

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:00:00 GMT

The third, final, and complete installment of the top 10 of the entire trip: It took me a while, and it was painstakingly difficult, but I compiled a top-10 list of the highlights of the trip. I considered not ranking the highlights because it's ...

That belongs in a museum!

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:04:00 GMT

One difference between America and England that my TA Emily noted early on in the course is that here, museums are free and most of the churches are not, while in America, the opposite is true. London is absolutely full of interesting (and indeed ...

A curtain call for Romeo and the program

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:00:00 GMT

On the Millenium Bridge in Londond. Left to right: Donald, Patty, Caty, Karen.As the program winds to a close, we've done our best to cram in some last-minute events. Click to enlarge: St. Paul's Cathedral.On Sunday before Romeo and Juliet, since ...

Tower Power Hour

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:45:00 GMT

The (squat) Tower of London; Kelsey on her way in to "The Bloody Tower" ("Still not as bloody as Julius Caesar," she notes).Monday was our last viable day of sightseeing in London, so many of us rushed off after lecture to tie up some metaphorical ...

The top 10 of the entire trip, part II

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:00:00 GMT

As I get ready to leave London and end this fabulous four weeks, I figure it's time for some fun. It took me a while, and it was painstakingly difficult, but I compiled a top-10 list of the highlights of the trip. I considered not ranking ...

Bardland movie stars — well, movie extras

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:14:00 GMT

Just last week, UCLA senior Katie Gronewold blogged about the night in Stratford when she and several other Bruins were recruited to sit in the the popular pub, The Dirty Duck, to play extras in an upcoming movie. Well, their efforts did not go ...

Hyperventilating Romeo

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:29:00 GMT

The program's winding down. Final exam tomorrow (Tuesday). Woohoo? Sunday night, we saw Romeo and Juliet at The Globe, which the class generally decided was fairly awful. Romeo hyperventilated his supposed loss of Juliet while Juliet couldn't bring ...

The 'City of Light'

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:41:00 GMT

Guess where I was. (Click to enlarge.)Location: PARIS. ALL DAY. Despite having to wake up at a nasty 4:00 in the morning on Saturday, I knew that this one day in Paris would give me some nice, memorable pictures. I wasn't disappointed. I just ...

What the theater critics say: 'Romeo and Juliet'

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:45:00 GMT

The Bardland students were privileged to see the final performance of The Globe Theatre's Romeo and Juliet. Get a feel for whether the bloggers' reviews are spot-on or off-base by joining them vicariously in the theater through these reviews of the ...

Cool things seen in the last 4 days

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:45:00 GMT

Cool things seen in the last four days:Platform 9 ¾;The Reptile House at the London Zoo where Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was filmed;Evensong inside Westminster Abbey;The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace;Buckingham Palace;Jane ...

A Shakespeare hiatus as we head to Paris

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:45:00 GMT

Karen at the Eiffel Tower.For the second day of our free weekend, some of us decided to do something a little out of the ordinary. Nine of us left the security of England and headed over to Paris, France for the weekend. We woke up at 4:00 in the ...

The top 10 of the entire trip, part I

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:07:00 GMT

The riches of London

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:53:00 GMT

Before the program ends, we had a couple of class-free days to squeeze in some extra tourism. On our free days: 1. Went on a bus tour of Stonehenge and Bath. Saw the Roman Baths, tried the grosssss water in the Pump room, and visited the Jane ...

Platform 9 ¾ and other tourism

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:14:00 GMT

Karen tries to make her way toward the Hogwarts Express. Silly Muggle. Friday was the first of our two free days and we spent most of it out in various parts of London. To start with, Bryan, Donald and I hopped the tube and went all the way to ...

Harrods' 'Pet Kingdom'

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:40:00 GMT

There is a "Pet Kingdom" in the fantastical retail world of Harrods. Yes, that's exactly what you think it is — an entire section of the store devoted entirely to pets. They actually sell cats, bunnies, gerbils, etc., as well as a wide selection of ...

I want to live in this library

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:14:00 GMT

I am a hoarder of all things written. I even have a shoebox under my bed of notes from friends from 5th grade until the present. Naturally, one of my life goals is to have a personal library in my house full of beautiful, old books that fill ...

Frailty, thy name is the Donmar production of 'Hamlet'

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:39:00 GMT

Hamlet is part of the Donmar company's West End season this year, and is playing at the Wyndham's Theatre. This trip has been an amazing opportunity to study in the cities where Shakespeare lived and wrote, and to see fantastic performances of ...

Drooling at Harrods

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:51:00 GMT

Click to enlarge: The fanciful replica of The Globe Theatre, filled with a stuffed-animal audience and theater troupe.On Thursday, a few of us decided that we really wanted good combination of fun, sticker-shock, and fantasizing. So we went to ...

Like kids on Christmas

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:08:00 GMT

Upon arrival back in London on Tuesday, several of the girls and I decided it was high time to make the pilgrimage — not to Canterbury; we took care of that quite some time ago — but to the world-renowned palace of retail, the Mecca of ...

Jude Law lunacy

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Jude Law surrounded by fans after his Hamlet performance. Look at all the cameras! Amanda's analysis: "The hottest Hamlet I've ever seen!!!"Yesterday was our much-awaited matinee performance of Hamlet featuring Jude Law in the title role. We were ...

What the theater critics say: 'Hamlet'

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:39:00 GMT

I don't know enough about the London theater scene to recognize what are surely major stage stars, but there are four actors many Americans know from the movies. Hamlet is played by movie star Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Alfie, The Talented Mr. ...

Harry Potter and Jude Law

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:13:00 GMT

Outside the theatre before Hamlet, with Jude Law in the poster behind them: Karen, Patty, Caty and Lauren.Although our adventures in Shakespeareland were all fun, I feel excited to be back in the hustle and bustle of London. We've only been back ...

Stratford vs. London

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:10:00 GMT

Back in London. Just went to the National Portrait Gallery and saw the portrait of Shakespeare which was most likely painted during his lifetime. I think I enjoyed the contemporary portrait section where Harry Potter was pictured better :) Benefits ...

Last-minute tourism and the promise of a movie star

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:40:00 GMT

Sunday I went with a few people to Holy Trinity Church to see Shakespeare's grave and was in awe of the gorgeous church. It really was a sight to see, and I'm sooooo happy I managed to see it before we left Stratford. As I write this on Monday, ...

Fun animal facts I learned in Stratford

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:58:00 GMT

1) Swans — are really awkward on land. They would sit on the lawn in front of the hotel and we would go on "swan stalking" missions to get pictures close to them. They would run away from us on their black feet in a most ungraceful and unbecoming ...

The Shakespeare capital of the world

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:42:43 GMT

Stratford-upon-Avon is one of the most charming places I have ever been. Nestled in the picturesque English countryside along the quiet, swan-filled River Avon, it's no wonder Shakespeare never really left Stratford. Although The Bard's burgeoning ...

Michael Fentiman and the gangsters of Verona

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:52:00 GMT

Other bloggers have already mentioned Michael Fentiman (here and here), but he warrants multiple posts. Michael is the assistant director of the RSC's production of As You Like It, which we saw Saturday before exiting Stratford. To put ...

My week in pastries

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:23:00 GMT

In Southern England there is a chain of café/pastry shops called Patisserie Valerie. The first opened in London in 1926. It just so happens that there is one in Stratford, so I now present to you my week in pastries. Because I went there every day. ...

Extras in The Dirty Duck

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:37:00 GMT

Sunday night on the way back from dinner, a group of us were randomly recruited on the street to be extras in a movie they were shooting at our fave bar of choice, The Dirty Duck (the bar that all of us UCLA kids and stage actors cram into after ...

'As You Like It,' from the front row

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:20:00 GMT

Saturday night, we saw our final RSC performance, As You Like It, at The Courtyard Theatre. We saw the same play put on at The Globe in London, but because that one was mostly drowned in the rain, I was really glad for a repeat performance. The ...

Quiz: Are you a Shakespeare nerd?

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:44:00 GMT

Find out whether you're as big a Shakespeare nerd as we all are here in Bardland. Take the quiz: 1) When I hear the word "globe"... a) No question, my mind leaps to the Globe Theatre in London. b) I flash back to 5th grade geography and think of ...

Five things to do on a lazy afternoon in Stratford

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:44:00 GMT

Bryan buying ice cream from the ice cream boat.Caty posing, Donald working.On Saturday, we found ourselves faced with a huge block of free time between class and lecture. So five other students and I went out exploring more of Stratford. Here are ...

Actors, falconry, and British BBQ

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:46:00 GMT

We've seen both The Winter's Tale and Julius Caesar so far, and as I write this on Saturday, we're watching As You Like It tonight (although not in the rain as previously at the Globe). Caesar had some crazy video stuff going on in the ...

What the theater critics say: 'As You Like It' (Stratford)

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Read all about the latest play the bloggers attended — the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance of As You Like It at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford — in the newspaper reviews of the same show. Catch yourself up on the story by reading the ...

Stratford-upon-Avon: old vs. new

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:02:00 GMT

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 ...

Sonnet 129: awkward!

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:00:00 GMT

We've been discussing sonnets lately. Today we discussed Sonnet 129 which is about ... well, sex. Definitely an interesting discussion about what a "waste of shame" means and how lust can be related to both "heaven" and "hell." Quite the awkward ...

What the theater critics say: 'The Winter's Tale' (Stratford)

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:19:00 GMT

Feel like you're missing out by not attending the plays? Let the local critics take you there with their rundowns of the same plays the bloggers are attending. The students latest visit was to the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance of The ...

Interview with the actor … and the assistant director … and another actor

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:45:00 GMT

You remember Sam Troughton from Kelsey's last post. He played Brutus in Julius Caeser.Professors Braunmuller and Post have been doing this program for many years now, which means that (much to our benefit) they have made some friends at the Royal ...

Reminiscing about Stratford

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:48:00 GMT

Sean Fallon, an English major and recent UCLA grad who traveled England on the Shakespeare program last summer, shared this enviable remembrance of Stratford when I interviewed him about the program: "When we were in Stratford, on Sundays there ...

The city and the country

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:38:00 GMT

Shakespeare often looks at the difference between the "civilized" city people and the less formal countryside society. In the interest of keeping with the academic nature of this program, here are the differences I've noted between London and ...

What the theater critics say: 'Julius Caesar'

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:40:00 GMT

Vacationing vicariously through the Bardland bloggers? Join more of the action by reading up on the plays the students are seeing. Read what critics have had to say about the Royal Shakespeare Company's Julius Caesar performance the students ...

'Julius Caesar' at The Courtyard Theatre

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:03:00 GMT

Last night we saw the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Julius Caesar at The Courtyard Theatre, one of their extant venues used while their main two are under construction. The theatre itself is very interesting in construction — quite ...

A day in Shakespeareland

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:31:00 GMT

In Shakespeare's backyard.Tuesday's lecture included a presentation by the head of the men's costume department for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The woman who spoke to us, Emma, had just inherited the department, but is in her 14th year with the ...

Tidbits from England

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:45:00 GMT

1) The beds have one big duvet cover. No sheet. This means an all-or-nothing mentality — choose before you go to bed whether you want to roast or freeze for the night. 2) English candy is much more exciting than American ...