We arrived in Stratford-Upon-Avon the 22nd. The group met up at Heathrow and, both extremely jet-lagged and extremely excited, set off by coach.
The drive was mostly through lush farmland dotted with occasional sheep. While England is not reputed to be exotic, the knowledge that we were finally here lent a certain novelty to the ordinary—the sheep were British sheep, the houses were British houses, the signs were in meters! It was all magically disconcerting, especially after being cooped up in a plane for ten hours.
Griffin, AK, Stephanie, Annie, Ashley, and Sara at the park next to the canal upon arrival
Griffin, Professor Pickett, and Sydney participating in a Shakespeare Aloud demonstration
Part II
The Royal Shakespeare Company is adjacent to the canal and occupies a position in town that exemplifies its importance to our trip. It looks like the most important theater in the world, but the stages inside are shockingly intimate, like two hallowed pockets of energy.
The first performance we saw was Henry IV Part I. It was a transcendent experience for many reasons: it’s the first Shakespeare production I’ve seen with full costume and effects, it’s one of my favorite plays, and I was sitting next to the Royal Shakespeare Trust’s genius-in-residence Nick Walton. Mr. Walton helped me notice many details that I otherwise would have never seen, like a projection of a stained glass window on the ground (which added to the religious overtones of the entire production), as well as the extremely prominent Gothic crucifix that was hanging from the ceiling (yup, missed it completely somehow). I did, however, manage to miss the ghost of Richard II. Hopefully I’ll be more observant during Part II.