You’re weird. But I like you.
-A Bug’s Life (1998)
Hello once again from my cluttered kitchen table in Kensington, London!
I’ve officially completed a whole week of conservatory theatre training and I have one word to describe that experience: EXHAUSTING. My mind was poked, prodded and stretched in my acting, audition, speech, dialects, Shakespeare, and dramatic criticism classes. My body was pushed, pulled, and exerted to the brink in stage combat, movement, Alexander, yoga, and period dance. AND THAT’S ONLY WEEK ONE! “But Taylor, how on Earth did you make it through all that?” Well, voices in my head, I wouldn’t have were it not for the insane group beautiful, colorful, and glorious friends I’ve met. It kills me that I can travel halfway across the world and find people who fit so beautifully with my personality. They inspire me to be a better actor, person, and friend, but they do so in a safe, encouraging way; always leading by example. There’s something about being thrown into another country that bands people together strongly and quickly, and I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to experience this phenomenon.
So, what else was so exhausting about this week? Well, beyond our MILLIONS of classes, we take trips weekly around London to visit historical cites as a group. Another shoutout here for my new wonderful friends for taking the stress away from getting lost on the way to the Rose Theatre! (Which, in my defense, is incredibly hard to find-it took archaeologists until the mid-1980s!) The story of the Rose Project is that corporate UK wanted to build on top of the cite, but when scientists found the remains of this famous Elizabethan theatre in the ground, actors and theatre enthusiasts from around the globe flocked to the cite to ensure its preservation. What you should care about: I stood in the same room that once held Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), DAME Judi Dench, and SHAKESPEARE HIMSELF. Some students even did a soliloquy or two while we were there just to say, ” I performed Shakespeare on the site of the performance of HIS first play, how was your Thursday?” It was such a fabulous and momentous day. I also got Ben & Jerry’s that day too, which made me almost as excited.
I also attended the huge, incredibly beautiful, but unbelievably crowded Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A museum for the natives). There was so much to see that I forced myself to just choose one exhibit this time and fully immerse myself in note-taking an sketching. So, I dove into the Fashion exhibition, which displayed clothing dating all the way back to the 1550s. And I don’t mean replicas or costumes, I mean ACTUAL CLOTHING. Some sweaty woman from 1675 actually fanned herself with that ivory and lace fan as she sat in her horse-and-buggy on her way to the opera. Some newly-wed gentlemen from 1730 actually thought that forget-me-nots embroidered onto his waistcoat wasn’t too corny for his wedding. It was amazing to see! My next goal is to get the curator to let me try on the shelf-like horizontal bustle of 1600s courtly women.
Alright, I’m rambling and I need to go read Twelfth Night, so I’ll be on my way. Let me finish this week off with a quick haiku for all my friends and family back home:
I’m loving it here
My new friends are so crazy
Also, send money
(LOL JK, send food)
Cheers!
Taylor