Stratford-upon-Avon: Holy Land for Theatre Geeks. Just a couple of hours north of London, you can find Shakespeare's birthplace which has turned into a huge tourist attraction at any time of the year! For someone who used to not be the biggest fan of Shakespeare, I have found that my love for his work has grown since I've been in England (I guess I could have predicted that one).
Personally, my favorite Shakespeare plays are Richard III and MacBeth. Shocker? Not if you know me and how much I love those "dark plays". Refer to earlier blog post about seeing Richard III with Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic!
Our first stop of the Stratford Shakespeare Marathon was Shakespeare's Birthplace. I was surprised when we first got there because it doesn't look very legitimate. They begin the tour by taking you through an interactive visual experience that talks about the time in which Shakespeare lived and how his plays were performed. I did enjoy the montage of famous Shakespeare clips (especially the Doctor Who episode). We then moved on to the less popular but still interesting attractions such as Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Nash's House.
That night, we visited my
favorite place in Stratford, The Royal Shakespeare Company. I've been doing a lot of research this semester on the development of the RSC and how they have transformed themselves recently. I saw King Lear here last summer and this time, we were seeing Taming of the Shrew. Shrew is not done as frequently as other plays because it is about "taming" a "bitch" and in this day in age, is a very difficult play to stage effectively (Slings & Arrows anyone?). The play was set in Italy in the 80's and was directed very well which makes sense because the director of Shrew directed my
favorite production
of MacBeth that was at the Globe last summer.
Needless to say, Shakespeare and his birthplace are becoming favorites on my list!
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| Marissa and I "jesting" around! |
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| Dickinson in England Humanities 2011 - 2013! |
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| David Tennant, he's a friend of mine. |
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| Shakespeare's grave. |
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| Marissa and I "upon the Avon". |
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| The Royal Shakespeare Company!!! |
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| The newly renovated part of the RSC including the "tower". |
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| Marissa, Ariel, and I in front of Anne Hathaway's cottage. And no, not that Anne Hathaway. |
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| Even though the day started with a lot of rain, it was beautiful by late afternoon! |
Cheers!
