Swords and Wales

I just got out of a sword/stage combat session, which was amazing. Caitlin, I have a sexy video of me sword fighting. I know you have a thing for guys with swords :) Anyway, we have a day off tomorrow, which is much needed and will be really nice. Julia and I spent last weekend in Wales. It was one of the most surreal and incredible trips I've ever taken. On the last day, we hitchhiked with a really nice couple who worked in a pub at the foot of Snowdon (the tallest mountain in Wales and the setting for the King Arthur legend). We had spent the day on a steam train that climbed to the peak of the mountain and took some amazing pictures. We actually saw the lake that is home to "The Lady of the Lake". So we got a ride with these two back to the town where our train was departing. We stopped at their flat so they could change out of work clothes, then went to a pub and bought them and ourselves a round of drinks. We had a wonderful couple of hours telling stories and exchanging information, then boarded the train back to London. Jonathan, if we make it out here next summer, we've got a sweet place to stay for free. They both do outdoor instruction in rock climbing, mountain biking, horse riding, etc. Sound like it'd be right up our alley. Well, I have to run and change before we have our first off-book run of the final scenes. I also haven't eaten anything today. I know, very uncharacteristic. Hope everything is swell back home! Peace.

Busy Busy Busy

Man, this program at the Globe Theatre is extremely intense. I haven't even had a chance to get on the computer until right now and we've been here almost two weeks. The program is amazing. We've had workshops with professionals in voice, movement, stage combat (Elizabethan swords), and textual analysis. We're also learning a great deal about the history of Shakespeare's time and the birth of theaters in London. The best part is that we're on the site of the original theaters as we're learning about them. We hear about Shakespeare's company hauling timbers across the Thames river onto the south bank to build the Globe as we're actually standing on the bank. My only wish is that we actually had free time to explore other parts of the city. I'm having trouble finding the time to even see shows apart from those at the Globe. We're working on monologues, (which we've actually performed on the Globe stage) at the same time as memorizing lines for scenes, seeing the plays we're reading, writing essays in response to the plays, and being in class for ten hours some days. Hopefully, we'll find more free time as the program goes on. Tomorrow, Julia and I head to Wales, which should be amazing. At the moment, I am sitting outside of a rehearsal for our scenes and our break is almost over. I hope to write more frequently as soon as I get my bearings. I would also like to upload some pictures because there are some amazing ones of me in full Elizabethan garb. Better run. More to come soon.