While I’m enjoying all three of my classes here at Queen Mary immensely, I’d have to say my favorite thus far is my Global Shakespeare course. I’m a giant Shakespeare fan, and I’ve studied the text extensively from an acting standpoint, but this is my first time taking a look at the plays in an academic context since high school. I was worried that it would be a bit dry, as the plays truly are meant to be seen and heard aloud rather than read, but I’m finding it really interesting to be examining the plays in a global context. We view a great deal of film adaptations of Shakespeare plays from around the world, so the class is exposing me to movies I would have never seen on my own, like a Japanese version of King Lear or Othello in the streets of India. I’ve really enjoyed reading plays I’ve never read before, like Othello and Titus Andronicus, and taken a closer look at plays I know very well through this global lens, like King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing. The class is making me appreciate even more the universality of these plays, and how Shakespeare’s stories are the world’s to tell. The issues that arise with these adaptations are also compelling, like whether or not it be Shakespeare without Shakespeare’s text (in the case of non-English adaptations), and if the English-speaking world truly accepted translations of Shakespeare into other languages as valid theatre productions. I’m also actually looking forward to writing my final paper for this class, as we have the chance to write our own global adaptation of a scene from one of the plays we’ve studied, and it’s not every day that an essay has a creative writing component, especially one worth 70% of your grade.
When studying at Queen Mary, I generally drift towards coffee shops and the library. I can do reading on my own in my flat, but if I need to buckle down and write a paper, I work best when surrounded by other people working. I can also get driven a bit crazy by the intense silence of the library, so the quiet buzz of a not-too-busy café is a perfect spot for me. One of my favorite places to work is the café on the top floor of the Foyles bookshop in Soho. They have four stories of books (including the largest selection of plays I’ve seen outside the Drama Bookshop in New York), and the café sits above them on the same level as the art gallery. It’s worth the trek to Tottenham Court Road on the tube, because I love the feeling of being surrounded by art and literature while I write.
Highlights from the week: having a wonderful Sunday exploring London’s various markets (Columbia Road Flower Market, Brick Lane Market, and Camden Market, plus sampling street food like bubble waffles and grilled cheese along the way), seeing two brilliant plays (Travesties by Tom Stoppard in the West End and Ugly Lies the Bone, a new play at the National Theatre), and having the best curry I’ve ever tasted from Borough Market as I sat and read Sherlock Holmes stories by the Thames (fairly certain that’s the most London thing I’ve done thus far).
