3 in 2

Some of the best parts of this program are the shows we get to see. I've never been to New York to see a show on Broadway. Sure, I've seen the tours when they come to Utah, but it just isn't the same, I know that now. Theatre here is on another level. I've seen and had talk backs with actors who are simply the best at what they do and have been perfecting their craft for years and years.

This last week, I was lucky to see three shows, two with the program and one for fun. Oh yeah, we did that in two days. Three amazing shows in two days.

Tuesday we saw Fiona Shaw in the one woman show Testament of Mary. Fiona is stunning on stage. I guess I'll lead with that. You know what else is stunning. Vultures. They had a live vulture on stage as part of the pre-show. The pre-show involved the audience getting to come up on stage and look at all the props (and the bird) ((oh yeah and Fiona Shaw as well...) I think I stared at that bird for ten minutes. They are kinda freaky, but really really cool. Well, that's enough about the bird...

The show wasn't one of my favorites we've seen, but I've never gotten to see a one person show before and seeing Fiona Shaw do it was a wonderful first experience. The set design, jeeze, the set design for all these shows, particularly these three I saw in those two days, are unforgettable. For this show, it was more of a bunch of props and chairs to make a set. AND a pool. There was a small square DEEP pool. At one point in the show she jumped into it and didn't come up for quite a long time, I started to get nervous about how long she was under.

(I stupidly forgot to bring my camera on stage, so this is a classmate's photo of the pre-show, but no vulture pic, sorry)

The next day I saw two shows. Amanda and I went to The Playhouse (yeah, that's the theatre's name) after our classes in the morning to get day tickets (tickets you purchase the day of the show for cheaper) for the matinee of 1984. They had 2 left and they were on the front row, you couldn't beat the price either. So, we hung around until the show and sat in our front row seats for about ten minutes. This is obvious but, front row is very close. Very very very close. And for such a show as 1984? I was starting to feel like it was too close, then the show started.

Guys, that was one of the scariest shows I've ever seen. I don't do well with scary, so I avoid it. But dude... it was so good. Being so close to that made me feel like I was part of the show. Like Big Brother was watching me... It was uncomfortable, but it all added to the experience the show was supposed to put you through. Oh, and PS, there may have been more blood just at the end of 1984 than in all of Titus Andronicus. Maybe not, but it could've been close.

And to top off those wonderful two days and amazing two shows, we saw one of the most incredible shows we've seen so far, if not THE most incredible show. Birdland with Andrew Scott. I don't really know how to describe this one, kinda like how I felt about Once. Andrew Scott has to be the best actor I've seen so far. (No offense to Fiona Shaw.) The only way to describe his acting is flawless. He was the best part, but that doesn't mean the rest of it was just okay. It was ALL incredible. The other actors more than held their own in a difficult show, the direction was awesome, the play was brilliant, and the set was out of this world. Birdland was a perfect example of multiple areas and people collaborating together to create a work of art where everything is cohesive and meaningful.

Strong words? Birdland deserves it. All I have is high praise. 

I was thinking about how these experiences are going to make me look at theatre differently when I return to the states. I'm sure they will also effect the way I work as an actress. Seeing the masters work opens your eyes, I'll tell you that!

~Jamie

A Lovely Long Weekend

Get comfortable, you're in for a long one. Lucky for you, there are pictures!

During the program we have scheduled in two little "long weekends" basically all that means is that we don't have a show or class on the Monday, so instead of two days we get three. There are still little optional things to do, but mostly everyone uses the time to go to other countries.

Saturday was a pretty normal day off. We went to the British Library, where I did homework and Amanda went to the current exhibit. The awesome thing about the British Library that I didn't know, is their "Treasures" room. It's loads of original papers with everything from Beatles song lyrics written down by the band when they wrote the songs, to the Magna Carta. They even had the oldest printed document in English history! They're pretty strict about not taking any pictures, even though it was free to get in. So, no pictures of that.

Next, we walked over to The British Museum, which featured ancient civilizations. We looked a lot at the Greek and Egyptian stuff, but left after that because it was so darn busy. Not to mention, the mummy exhibit was next to the food court which created a nauseating effect. The entry way is stunning though, here it is from the 3rd floor.

The picture really doesn't do it justice.

After that we went to Kensington gardens to check out the Peter Pan statue and try to find the carousel, which they either took out permanently or is a seasonal installment currently unavailable. After that, we took the long way home, walking around the Kensington area.

That night we relaxed at the flat, trying to rest our calloused and blistered feet for another day (and probably week) of walking. Maybe someday I'll calculate or write about how much we have walked. (probs not, that sounds boring)

Sunday. Sunday was the most perfect day. In weather and everything else, Sunday was perfect. We got up pretty early to get to the bus station. Neither one of us had ever taken a commercial bus to travel before, so we planned ahead to make sure we got there good and early. The Circle and District lines were down (I think those lines hate me), so we took Picadilly and transferred to Victoria. It all went great and we were half and hour early! The bus itself was awesome as well. The seat was nicer than my airplane seat by leaps and bounds. We left at 10:30 and had our return tickets for 8:00 pm. Not a lot of time to see Cardiff. Not much at all. But I had made the mistake of waiting just a little too long to buy the tickets and they were the most affordable ones, so we would make do. The bus ride from London to Cardiff is three and a half hours. That sounds bad I suppose, but it isn't at all.

When I bought the tickets, I wondered if it was going to be worth it. Could we see anything in 6 hours? Would 6 hours be worth the 7 hour bus ride? It made me think of this quote from a great Disney movie...

"One day ashore. Ten years at sea. That's a steep price for what's been done."
"Depends on the one day."

And that day? Was perfect. Those six hours were some of the greatest six hours of my life. Cardiff Bay is truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to and such a welcome change from the busy city life we've been living the past two weeks.

The walk from the bus station to Cardiff bay was thirty minutes, but signs pointed the way on every corner and we could see the Millennium Centre from half a mile away.

(As I was taking some of these photos, I thought about how they look like I just got them off the internet. They're mine! It was just a perfect day, ya know?)

Now, the reason we were headed to Cardiff Bay was for The Doctor Who Experience, but the whole thing was so stunning, I took more pictures of the bay than the Doctor Who building.

(This is just the Roald Dahl Plaza)

The first thing we did was The DWE because we had pre-purchased our tickets for 2:00, which was ten minutes away, and because we knew it would take the most time.

Honestly, I don't know how to talk about The DWE. The Experience part was no photography of any sort and trying to explain it would sound boring and strange for you guys. I'll just say that if Disney bought out BBC, it would feel like The DWE. And for any whovians, (know that it's a walk through), there is a room full of Angels. And the lights flash. It was freakin creepy. Mostly because I was the last one in the line and Weeping Angels freak me out. So I walked backwards. 

After the Experience is the Exhibit. It's a giant collection of (mostly) original props and costumes. They had the original TARDIS consoles for Doctor numbers 5-7 and 9-10 (despite blowing it up pretty good at the end of David Tennant's last episode) and a reconstruction of the First console used in An Adventure in Space and Time. Also included was the actual Phone Box used as the TARDIS exterior with Doctors 4-7. 

(9&10's console)

There were original Sonic Screwdrivers and TARDIS keys galore. Then there were tons of Costumes worn by Doctors and Companions alike. Rose, Donna, Martha, Captain Jack, Clara, Amy, and Rory to name some. Then, the line up. Doctors 1-10, with 11 off on a different display with a somewhat creepy wax figure of Matt Smith.

(I'm really getting into panoramic pictures)

And that my friends, was only the downstairs. 

Upstairs had monsters, aliens, a special corner for the 50th anniversary special including John Hurt's costume and TARDIS as well as the Big Red Button, a corner for the Christmas Special (Matt Smith's last show) including some of the synthetic material used to make him look old and Handles, a video that teaches you how to walk like a Cyberman (sure it was for kids, but that didn't stop me), two exhibits based on the evolution of the Cybermen and the Daleks, and exhibits on the theme song creation and set models.

SO MUCH STUFF.

And you want to know part of what made it so great? There was next to no one there. We chose a really good day and time. We got to take pictures of everything and look at things longer because no one was hurrying us.

The whole thing was so awesome. I felt like a kid running around to see stuff and then getting distracted by something across the room. The Experience was fun and the Exhibit was impressive. I can't say how glad I am we got to go.

Then is was back to Cardiff Bay. We knew we wanted to eat some sea food, most likely Fish and Chips if there was a good place we could find in Mermaid Quay. And there totally was. We just happened to find Top Gun as we were walking along, we had no idea it's a pretty famous and award winning shop, probably because it looks so normal. We got it to go and sat out on the Pier to eat. I won't go on and on... yet (I'm saving that for a post near the end about the best food I ate) but it was so freakin good.

After that we basically walked about Mermaid Quay and the whole Cardiff Bay area. We went in the Millennium Centre, checked out the Carousel and a sweet fountain, and just enjoyed the perfect weather.

 We finished by buying Ice Cream from this shop that we didn't know anything about, but had a long line. We just assumed it must be pretty good if everyone's waiting. And it totally was. I got this Chocolate with Raspberry stuff in it, I don't even know how to describe it but really tasty. 

It was such a perfect day, we really really didn't want to go back. But obviously, that wasn't a choice, so we walked back to the station and took the bus home.

But the fun wasn't over yet, because the long weekend wasn't over! (and really, all we do is have fun and learn over here)

Today we spent a good part of the day over by St. Pauls Cathedral.

 You know, like in the Marry Poppins song?

"Early each day on the steps of St. Paul's..."

Anyway.

We started by going to see The Monument. This 160 foot tower built from 1671 to 1677 had to be climbed, so luckily there was a very reasonable Student price and we climbed all 311 steps to the top platform! (take THAT London Eye!)

It's funny how much of London I can identify now. If I had gone up there the first day I would have been like... "Well, there's Tower Bridge and the Shard... this is boring." But with my knowledge, I could find the big buildings far away and tell you about the buildings next to them that you couldn't see too. It was beautiful up there, also a bit windy. Luckily it was sturdy and didn't shake like the Millennium Bridge or the Treetop Walk at Kew Gardens.

Then we walked over to see St. Paul's Cathedral. We're going to go inside another time (for free) so we just walked around it today. It's gorgeous outside, I can't wait to see the inside.

(Bonus knowledge, Christopher Wren designed The Monument and St. Paul's.)

With just a little more time until our reservation for Afternoon Tea, we walked around the shopping mall next to St. Paul's. Intrigued by the name, we went in this shop called "Hotel Chocolat". It looked fancy and pricey so we just stood in the doorway for a second until this lady offered us a sample of chocolate. Obviously we said yes cuz, free chocolate, but I never expected how good it would be.

That chocolate was so good, I considered buy the whole freaking store.

We probably would have, if we didn't have a reservation. We'll be back though... I'm sure of it.

Our Afternoon Tea reservation was at a place I found on the internet called Bea's of Bloomsbury. Guys, I can't believe how perfect it was and how much it reminded me of ME. If I was a shop, I would be Bea's. It's my spirit animal.

Okay, I'm being dramatic. But just look at the cuteness!

The whole place is the exactly right mix of vintage and modern. The lights were tea pots and cups. The sugar cubes were in a mason jar. There was a carnation on our table. They specialize in cupcakes. The chairs were reupholstered vintage chairs. I mean, EVERYTHING was adorable. Not to mention delicious. Afternoon tea is pretty pricey, you have to hope you're getting equal to what you payed for it. I'm thrilled with our choice.

After that we had to do grocery shopping. Now we're caring for our feet again. Like I said, there's a lot of walking involved.

If you made it to the end, you deserve a reward!

We got a reward for climbing the 311 stairs (it's a certificate). 

You get my gratitude!

~Jamie

JK you get this awesome picture of Justin Bieber and Sacha Baron Cohen

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Every place on earth has it's goods and bads right? Let's not forget that London is a giant city with millions of inhabitants and the Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world. 

At least, let's not forget this again.

It makes sense that the program bought our tickets to the plays so far in advance. Most of the shows we've seen are completely sold out. Amanda and I are really lucky we got into Once before Arthur Darvil left that weekend. (Then again, Once has run for a year.) Basically, it's easy to forget how many people there are and how slim your chances of getting to do things you want are. At the beginning of our trip, we tried to go the the Imperial War Museum over about south bank. Well, it's closed until July. Things like that are alright though. It's things like yesterday that suck.

First off, the day before yesterday we tried to get into a Museums at Night showcase as well, but we didn't realize until just before we left that they wanted people to make reservations and by that time, they were booked out. At least we hadn't left the flat yet.

So yesterday morning we had a class Shakespeare Walking Tour led by our professors. Lucky for us, one part of the tour was the rebuilt globe theatre. Amanda and I have wanted to see Much Ado About Nothing (my favorite Shakespeare show) before it closes, and we now had the perfect opportunity to swing by and purchase tickets. It turned out we had to come back because the walking tour wasn't quite finished yet, so after lunch at Borough Market, we walked back to the Globe.

The moment we said the words Much Ado, the box office worker stopped looking at his computer, took his hands off the key board, and shook his head. Completely sold out for the rest of the run. I can't really describe how disappointed I felt, but I tried to shake it off and feel content knowing we'd be back to see Antony and Cleopatra with the program.

We went back to the Kensington area around two to do homework and laundry before leaving for the next big thing I desperately wanted to do. Another activity in the Museums and Night weekend, I had found an interactive one night only murder mystery in the College of London Darwin Museum. We double checked that we needed no ticket, ate light because they were going to feed us some, and headed out early since it was first come first serve.

Then we made our first mistake. The 49 bus is very convenient for us since it starts at the top of our street and takes us right to the tube station. So, in a hurry as we were, we decided to wait for it to come. The bus comes every 7-10 minutes constantly. Or so they say. We waited twenty minutes. We could've walked there in ten or less, but we waited, each moment more anxious. 

When we finally got to the station and squeezed on a crowded rush hour train, I thought, all is well now. We'll be a little later than we planned, but still early. Little did I know, the circle line trains are painfully slow. They don't run at full speed. Not only that, but they kept stopping. All the announcement would say was, we have a red light. It was maddening. Sometimes the lights flicker off for a while as well. At this point, I'm fully frustrated. I'm scared we aren't going to make it for the opening of the doors. If you could hear my inner monologue, it might have sounded like this -

So slow were the trains that I knew we were now going to be late. Way late. My only hope was that not very many people knew about it or they were opening it up to a lot of people. To make a long, angry story short, we didn't make it. There were 500 people there by the time we showed up and they only let 200 in. That being the second crushing blow to my hopes that day, I broke down. 

Like I said, London is a huge place with millions of people, not to mention tourists. The tube ride home felt even longer.

I'm not trying to be depressing, although I'm depressing myself rehashing it (too soon probably). I've had many wonderful experiences and the weather was freakin cloudless and 70 yesterday (perfect). But sometimes it's not perfect living in a huge city.

But despite the bad timing and ugly attitude, there was some good in the trip.

Maybe I was slap happy.

Maybe it was so ridiculous I couldn't help myself.

Probably it was a mixture of the two.

This guy got on the circle train with his guitar and started busking. 

He was good. But the mixture of his long silver hair pulled back in a ponytail, leather jacket, and the way british people treat noise (like it isn't happening) was so hilarious to me. I was trying so hard not to laugh, but as he wandered up and down the isles for donations (remember the circle line is so slow while running, you could play a guitar and walk around without falling over) I kept giggling. I broke down one time and completely laughed out loud. It was the most entertaining thing outside of a Theatre I've seen thus far for sure.

The last day and a half have been homework filled for me. I started my two online classes yesterday and finished everything due this weekend before I leave for Wales tomorrow.

I also got my grades from last semester, a 4.0

Every little thing is gunna be alright.

I just have to find things to laugh about when it gets frustrating or sad!

~Jamie

When it Rains...

You know what they say. When it rains, it mists, then it stops to be cloudy, then it rains like there's no tomorrow, then it is unbelievable sunny and warm, then the clouds roll in, then it pours. The rule has come to be, if you take your umbrella, it won't rain. If you forget it? You're getting wet.

After a long stretch of sun when we got here, the only rain we had was forgettable, more like a mist actually. These past few days, however, starting from Saturday have been so impossible to forecast. We go from one extreme to the next faster than snow to sun in a Utah spring.

Yesterday felt like a good day to pack a lunch and go have a picnic in Regents Park, since that weekend had been so rainy. But sure enough, as our second class came to an end, the view from our third story window was anything but promising and we knew we would have to make a new plan as it started to pour.

So, Amanda and I went down to the basement (the only place in our classroom building we are allowed to have food) and ate our lunch so we could go inside the Natural History Museum down the street. We wanted to go eventually anyway, so were making good use of a rainy day. Until we walked outside and it was brighter and warmer than it had been in five days despite the forecast saying rain until 19:00 at least.

We went to the museum anyway, not trusting the weather to stay nice for us and since we'd already eaten our picnic. The Museum was INCREDIBLE. The building alone is worth seeing, not to mention all the cool exhibits inside. 

We go to go in a mock chinese grocery store and "feel what it feels like in a earthquake", we got to walk through their beautiful gardens in the back complete with bee hives, we even got to play memory and perception games and see a life-sized plastic whale that took up the whole room hanging from the ceiling. One of our favorite parts was this room that looked like the solar system where you take an escalator up through a metal sun.

 The one thing I had to smile at was their Dinosaur exhibit. The one in Utah's Natural History museum is better. There are more fossils and bones in Utah. That's saying a lot because this museum had an animatronic T-rex and raptors!

When we left, it was indeed still sunny and bright. Until we started walking home and the huge black clouds rolled in to rain on us as we walked to the tube station later that night.

~Jamie

Ps. That night we saw Mark Strong in A View From the Bridge 

(It's not Photoshoped, the lighting was just really bad.)

This and That

Well, I don't want to say I haven't done a lot recently, because I have, but maybe I'm getting used to seeing incredible things all the time. There are plenty of things I've been to and seen that I know I have to do or see again, so luckily I have time. I counted up the things I've done on my bucket list and I'm at 14/32 which is pretty impressive considering I've also done a bunch that wasn't on my list.

I'm going to highlight some of the things I did on my list. (and finally use some of the pictures I've taken!)

Houses of Parliament

Yes, we saw Big Ben and these things on the first day, but we didn't really get time to just walk around this area. The other day we decided to go to south bank and the Imperial War Museum. After making the trip we found out that it is unfortunately closed until July. Instead we decided to just take a walk. We walked from the Westminster to the Globe! Then, after discovering that the tube stations were closed for rail maintenance, we walked all the way back! It was A LOT of walking, but the scenery wasn't bad at all. (We got to see the London Eye up close.)

Tower of London

Yesterday, we attended an Anglican Church service in the chapel of St Peter at the Tower of London. The building was very cool (built in 1516, don't mind the city cranes in the back) and the choir was beautiful. Jane and Tim are experts at all this, they knew that it would be a good experience but that if you go to the church service you also get into the Tower for free. So instead of us all having to pay 14 pounds, we got in for free! We got to see the crown jewels and the armor of King Henry VIII in the White Tower built in the early 1000's (as well as the grass patch where some of his wives were beheaded). We also saw a changing of the Guard ceremony.

Trafalgar Square

Sunday evening there was a London Symphony Orchestra concert for free in Trafalgar Square. Here's a quick look from where we were sitting.

Luckily we made it when we did because it filled up SO fast, they closed the square off right after we got in. The Orchestra played for an hour and a half and even did this cool thing where they had the audience "play" along with them by putting "sheet music" up on the big screen and having everyone jingle their keys to create a rhythm that went along with Masks from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev.

(that is Nelson's Column, the LSO was under the white tent, incase it rained)

Bonus, on our way back from the concert, we found the TARDIS.

~Jamie

Bloody Awesome!

Squeamish people, look away now.

Today was our first trip to the Globe Theatre to see the blood filled revenge play Titus Andronicus. The only thing I kept hearing about this production was that it was causing the audience members to faint. I'm sure you can see why.

There was so much theatrical blood used in this show, I began to wonder strange things about it. Like, what does it taste like? (Multiple actors spit it out of their mouths) Does it stain? (Being on the front row, we were in the splash zone) Is it sticky? Hard to wash out of hair? Fragranced?

But I digress. 

Being in the globe was INCREDIBLE. Unfortunately because of designer rights, they wouldn't let us take any pictures (the one above is a media shot), but it was as beautiful and perfect as I imagined it to be. We got to the theatre early to line up because we were groundlings. All that means is that we didn't have seats, but rather stood in the pit between the stage and the bleachers. My guess is that the blood is gruesome, but standing for three hours and locking your knees will cause people to pass out too! Back in Shakespeare's day, you could be a groundling for a pence. Now-a-days it's the cool way to be right in the middle of the action.

The actors used the pit playing space many times. You really have to watch out for yourself when you stand down there. I almost got hit with sword sheaths, fake blood, spit, dead birds, and props various. I wouldn't have changed my spot for a seat though!

At one of the most brutal parts of the show, (pictured here)

just as Lavinia spits out a river of blood to signify her tongue had been cut out, the girl next to me went down like a domino. Sure enough, the ushers on the side put her feet up on the stage to elevate her feet, wheeled her a wheel chair, and as soon as she regained consciousness they took her outside. The actors just kept on the whole time.

Reading the play makes people wonder how such an incredible playwright like Shakespeare could have written such a mindlessly bloody play. To those people, I wish you could all have seen this production. (I'll admit, when I read it there were parts I thought were ridiculous and funny.) It seemed like they knew this full well because they played up the funny bits so you REALLY laughed, but suddenly would turn it all upside down and you were gasping in horror. 

I laughed so hard I snorted, I cried, I stood in the most horrific shock, the only thing I didn't do was pass out. It was the easiest three standing hours of my life. (I wonder if I'll feel that was during Antony and Cleopatra...)

~Jamie

The First Five

Well, I made it. And by not writing about my adventures every day, they have piled up. I keep telling my roommates that I feel like I'm on a one week vacation and I have to get EVERYTHING done as soon as possible. Of course that's not the case, but by treating it as such, I've seen and done bunches!

My first day (after sleeping for three hours on the plane ride because my neighbor decided to watch Anchorman 2 and was laughing the whole time), I arrived at LHR at 6:30 am to meet Tim and get my Oyster Card to ride the tube. I felt so ignorant on the train. I sat down and put my HUGE suitcase right in front of me before realizing ten minutes later I was supposed to put it by the door. Luckily with it being so early and not having to travel through the heart of London, no one was really on the train but me and a few businessmen. I got off at Gloucester Station as Tim told me, met up with Jane, and Mandy took me to the flat. 

I was the first roommate to check in so after unpacking and taking the bed of my choice (the top bunk obvs), I knew I needed to find something to do before jet lag hit me full force. Luckily, I didn't have to think too hard since I had made a list. ;) 

Kensington Gardens is literally right across the street to the north of our flat. I thought I would take a quick stroll for an hour tops before going back to the flat, but every time I walked towards something, something else would appear on the horizon and I knew I HAD to see that next. Eventually I ended up at the Italian Gardens, found a bench, and wrote in my journal. I then walked to Hyde Park, just south of Kensington Gardens, to visit the Princess of Wales Fountain. Long story short, I ended up walking around the parks for two and a half hours. 

When I went back to the flat, both Abby and Amanda were unpacking. When they finished, we went out to get lunch at Sandwich world and ate in the park (Kensington Gardens). Basically, Amanda and I stayed at the park until 5 to keep active and avoid feeling the exhaustion. At five we had a meeting with our RA and then Tim and Jane took us on a walking tour of Westminster. We saw the Houses of Parliament, the London eye, Westminster Abbey, Green and St. James Royal Parks, and even Buckingham Palace. We ended our trip at Fortnum and Mason. It was very fun, but too much walking when you're jet lagged!

Our second day, after sleeping 12 hours) Amanda and I went grocery shopping and then to brunch on our way to Little Venice for Canalway Cavalcade. I got some ice cream and flake (which tastes like whipped cream to me) and we saw all the decorated boats (we even watched a bit of a boat maneuvering competition.) Eventually, we made our way down to the more carnival side of the festival and watched a mime, who was great fun.

Monday we spent the whole day at Kew Gardens. I didn't know if it would be a long visit since I didn't know how large it was or how much there would be to do or see. Let me tell you. There is PLENTY to do and MORE THAN PLENTY to see. We spent two hours alone in the Kew Palace area. The whole place was incredible, especially for a flower lover like me!

Yesterday was our first day of class. We spent the whole class talking about contemporary drama since we had our first show today. Once class was over, Lizzie, Emma, Kaleigh and I went on a Sherlock geek round. We basically started at 221B Baker Street and took the circle line around London stopping at famous filming locations for the show including their version of 221B and St. Barts Hospital. We even saw the Sherlock phone booth where fans left messages to Sherlock and John and even Moriarty. It was mainly for after season 2, but since the release of season 3, most of the messages were funny quotes.

Today's adventures started with a trip to the Phoenix theatre to get student priced day tickets to Once (basically to get the cheapest seats for the night performance you go to the theatre the day of). The lady kindly informed us that they don't do student tickets, but we could get tickets for the near to back row of the balcony for 20 pounds. OR after apologizing that the front row was sold out, she told us we could get sixth row tickets for 25 pounds.

So, with our sixth row tickets in hand, we headed back through the tube to our first performance of the day. We attended The Believers at The Tricycle Theatre. It was a short 70 minute show with no intermission and we got to do a talk back with the actors afterwards. It was a pretty scary show. I read a review right before we went in that it was the scariest show since Woman in Black opened. We get to discuss it in class tomorrow, which I'm excited for because it was indeed scary, but it also didn't make a ton of sense.

After a short dinner break back at the flat, we headed back to the Phoenix for Once. We were a tad late for the pre-show, which was practically just an Irish rock concert and AWESOME (they also sold drinks on the stage / set bar)! The whole thing was just beautiful. All of the actors were fantastic including Arthur Darvil (naturally). I think Once may be my favorite musical I've ever seen live. I've been such a cheapskate this week, but as soon as the show was over (and I was almost done crying), I knew I had to buy a shirt or something. I ended up with a scarf. And I love it.

Heaven knows how many hours I spent on public transportation today. I'm exhausted! Class in the morning means bed for me now!

I'll try to keep up better.

~Jamie