A nationally subsidized theatre...that's a novel idea!!!

(Photograph: Marc Brenner; The Guardian)

Since 1963, the national theatre has sought to be the epicenter for the British stage. This institutions sole purpose is to provide artistic opportunity for all of Great Britain. With four different theatres joined: Lyttelton, Olivier, Dorfman, and the Temporary Theatre, variety becomes ever present. The Theatre’s mission statement has committed to at least staging 20 productions a year. With that said there could be more seven or eight productions in repertory at one time. That is incredible!

It’s refreshing to see a county to take nationalistic pride in theatre and to take such great pain in perpetuate creativity just for the sake of art. I even got see this at first hand. I got to see Caryl Churchill’s A Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. It was a very avant-garde performance. The plot focused on the English civil war and followed by the restoration. The production shared their ideas through the symbolic. There were no characters presented per se, the cast symbolized different allusions from history or represented different ideologies at the time.  Interesting concept, but it became very dense and dry. In order to follow the plot audience members had to be exposed to the history of Britain. It was very difficult for me to feel emotionally attached to cast and the story, even though I what was going on. What made up for the plot were its aspects of scenic design! They entirety of the set was a mock first person perspective. It looked like you were at the foot of a long table. There were no set changes, yet the set went under changes. The stream of consciousness didn’t stop. The table represented the status of England. The first half featured members of the monarchy eating and living in luxury to represented The reign of King Charles the I of England. Then in the second half you see round hats writing legislature to represent the Republic of England. What so revolutionary about this giant table was that the subflooring was made entirely out of soil. There was a scene that represents the allotting of former royal land and estates to English citizens and agriculture. The parliamentarians proceeded to lift of the floorboards to soil. It looked like the whole cast was involved in the stage business. The rest of the production was done on the soil. There was even a moment when it rained on the table to create a muddy environment. Even though the plot structure was not easily accessible, but featured a lot of surreal and abstract means of scenic design that could inspire new forms or theatre.

The Merchant of Venice

            The Merchant of Venice, a comedy and in its own right a tragedy. A production of close authenticity was debuted at the Globe Theatre. Costumes and scenic aspects were period appropriate. Though the casting wasn't traditional, because it wasn't an all male cast, but the style was very immersive compared to current styles and direction. What made this production great was how they interpreted the content. The piece today can be seen as anti-Semitic, if taken at face value. Shylock, the stereotype of the money grubbing Jew who only seeks vengeance, was revisited. The interpretation of Shylock was made human. As artists in a world of globalism they took into account history of the Jewish Diasporas, and the application of "realistic" concepts. Jonathan Pryce took great pains to address the internal monologue of Shylock. He was given layers, not an archetype but an identity. From institutions like the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Centre and the University of Tel Aviv, we have come to understand that throughout Europe, Jews though utilized for the purpose of commerce, the European monarchs and Papal rule found them unwanted. You can see that type of oppression from the Christian by physical advances: spitting and assault. Even it was evident from how the court concluded that Shylock wasn’t a Venetian because of his Jewish Heritage…an infidel and a foreigner. Shylock also became a father for Jessica. This conflict of the money wasn’t entirely about greed but “selfish” preservation. His first super-objective was to provide for his daughter’s well being. You can see that with his reaction to carnival. He was so stern and specific about the house and Jessica because he was so conscious the danger that could occur. It wasn’t until Jessica eloped that we see Shylock switch to pursue the forfeiture out of spite. This was an importance performance because it shows how relative morality can be, especially when it comes to culture.   

The Tubes 

       If you have ever been to a major metropolis like New York, Chicago, or even Dallas, you'll notice that public transportation is of most importance. From a tour of London, it was estimated that the city limits is about 630 square miles, that's a lot ground to cover. With a population that is and will continue to expand exponentially transportation is king. This is over 8 million persons needing to get to work at one time. Organizing an easy and effective system to move several million people at one time isn't a task to be done at a whim. I can't tell about theories about systems, industrial engineering, or just plain old trains, but I can tell you at a glance the layout of London's Underground looks...complicated. Its as if London's financial district is a specimen for a gross anatomy lab, the Londoners is its vitality, and the tubes are its veins. The first emotional response, "Shit! " It was like stepping into a cold pool. You just have to get you feet wet. Of course the best ways to get your feet wet is through the cultural experience. You have to see what makes London.  

• Goal one: hit up the National Theatre
• Goal Two: See the "Eye" 
• Goal Three: spy the Globe Theatre 

These seemed like an easy venture...haha wrong. So wrong! Very Wrong!  

     After long ride of pensively deciding which colored, (excuse me but the culturally relative term of the UK, "colour''), tram was the correct decision. At last we got off at Embankment and cross the Golden Jubilee Foot bridge. This bridge was nothing more then steel and aircraft cable. Though minimal, it was a piece of art. From then on we continued hour march across the Thames. We past many street performers busking in the throngs of tourists to find the Eye. 

 

      This wasn't no mere ferris-wheel. It was several hundred feet in height, a novelty. An even more novel spectacle was its cue...over an hour wait plus 30 pounds, approximately.  

After continuing the track we passed some vague cafes and hives of business offices, we came across National Theatre. 

 

       The site of it was extremely modern. Nothing was conventional about its architecture, but what do I know about architecture. It looked striking. After basking in modern architecture we continued our avant-garde tour to pass the wharfs and peers. It was just a splendid moment of people watching. You could see every walk of life enjoying the walk along the Thames. After even more walking we came to the Globe. It was a reproduction of what it would have appeared during the 17th century. All built from period appropriate materials, it was historical beauty. 

     It took several days to under stand a little bit about the tubes that could take me to such beautiful sites. Though I may not have all the answers, but the best way to navigate the tubes is to orient yourself about the Thames River because it runs from approximately east to west. If you can determine whether you're in South London or North, you can then decide which station is closest to the site. Rather then taking a tube to embankment, I have found it to be much more convenient to take  a line to St. Paul's or Mansion House station and walk across a bridge.   

 

For further advice...In London, if it seems too complicated, it's because you made it complicated. Just take deep breath continue the adventure. 

Prologue 

I was unkempt, unprepared, and never-the-less late...for everything.  It was for our first "really" important official "Theatre in Britain" meeting; a meeting where the ground rules were set, advice was given about flights, packing, and whether our passport was in order — a very important meeting. The only excuse I had was: exhaustion and being tired of academia. One could say it wasn't very compelling and rather pathetic. Originally I had set the perfect schedule for a very imperfect organizer, but all was foiled by a nap. I was 15 minutes late and felt the urging guilt. After I made the trudge of shame into the fluorescent drowned lecture hall all eyes where fix on my guilty-tardy-ass. At that moment the last rational thought before the anxiety was,"...Oh god, how am I going to survive this?"... "Bon voyage," as they say.