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A Visit To The RSC

I spent the Fall 2008 semester abroad in the UK with twenty-five other students and two professors. We did our coursework on the road, traveling to various cities while studying the literature and drama of each region.

During our five days in Stratford towards the end of our trip, we saw four RSC plays, which were by far some of the best productions we saw. The RSC and Filter Theatre teamed up for a wild, rock-band version of Twelfth Night. When they started handing out pizza to the audience and tossing Velcro balls at Sir Andrew, I realized I had never laughed so hard during a performance. The RSC’s Love’s Labours Lost found the perfect balance between clever wordplay and bawdy humor. I also had the privilege of attending the highly-anticipated RSC Hamlet starring David Tennant (of the popular British show Doctor Who) and Patrick Stewart, which had a stunning cast, spectacular sets and inventive direction. Probably the best Shakespeare I will ever get the opportunity to see. We closed our time in Stratford with a fanciful and quirky urban version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Outside the theater, I enjoyed visiting some of the Shakespeare houses, particularly Anne Hathaway’s cottage. I took advantage of the Shakespeare Library Reading Room to do research for a paper for my Shakespeare class (my reading card is one of my favorite souvenirs). The tea rooms in town were a popular spot for us to spend time really getting to know each other. This smaller town gave us the opportunity to build community, since there were fewer places to rush to see than, say, London.