Student Blog: Shakespeare School

Greetings from across the pond!

Hi there, I'm Mackenzie! I just graduated from Baylor University in May with my BFA in Theatre Performance with a Concentration in Musical Theatre, and a Minor in History! I am currently pursuing my MA in Shakespeare Studies at King's College London and Shakespeare's Globe! AND I'm doing it in ONE YEAR! I'm insane, I know.

There's a lot of really cool things about this program- but probably one of the most significant is that I take about half of my classes at Shakespeare's Globe! King's College has a phenomenal partnership with The Globe, which allows us to get invaluable experience working with (the closest thing we have to) authentic Early Modern theatre spaces! Due to various reasons including, but not limited to, the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the banning of theatre during The Interregnum (1649-1660), we (very sadly) do not have any original theatre spaces from this period. Shakespeare's Globe consists of both the iconic outdoor playhouse reconstructed in 1997, and the indoor Jacobean theatre space, The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse built in 2014. Without getting too nerdy about this- Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed in spaces like these, and these theatres, in turn, also inform his plays and what we know about Early Modern theatre practices.

Now- this program is an English/Theatre History degree, it's not a practical acting program (I'll talk about my background as an actor and how I got to this place in a later blog post). This semester I'm taking two courses, Working with Early Modern Literary Texts and Early Modern Playhouse Practice. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but the way grad school works is that we don't have a ton of required classes, but instead we have many optional workshops and seminars that we can (and SHOULD) attend. I also do a TON of reading! Before my first class, I binge read Ovid's "Metamorphoses," Virgil's "The Aeneid," and a significant chunk of the King James Bible, just to name a few. It was slightly unhinged of me... oops... spoiler alert: I'm a nerd! The premise of Working With Early Modern Literary Texts is that in order to understand Shakespeare's works and his inspiration behind them (as well as some of his source material) we need to read what he would have been reading. The goal of this course is to prepare us to analyze and research texts from this period in both textual and critical manners. Early Modern Playhouse Practice studies the context in which these plays were produced and performed. It takes into consideration the literal and metaphorical circumstances surrounding these works and how they influenced Shakespeare, his contemporaries, actors, and the audience.

Ok onto the fun stuff!!! I live in London- something that used to be beyond my wildest dreams! Getting my visa was a nightmare, to say the least, but I'm here now and it is everything I could have dreamed of and more! I flew into London the day before Her Majesty The Queen's funeral, so I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the procession outside of Parliament. I also went to visit Buckingham Palace, and outside there were (not an exaggeration) millions of flowers and tributes left to honor the Queen! Pictures and words could never do it justice, it was an overwhelming feeling of grief, humanity, and love. Truly a sight that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. I'm a huge history nerd- especially English history, so I am in seventh heaven here! I don't think I could possibly visit every museum or historic site that this city has to offer in just a year! So far, the highlights are The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and The Victoria and Albert Museum! I plan on doing as much traveling as I can this year, this is truly an opportunity that I will never get back, and I want to learn and see as much as possible!

Nerd Alert! Let me tell you- taking classes at The Globe is just as amazing as it sounds- I was beside myself the whole first day we had there! We even get access to their archives (holy wow) for research! The archives have everything from performance reports, to rehearsal and performance recordings, to scholarship books, to manuscripts, and props! Sam Wanamaker's goal when he began this restoration project was for this working theatre to also be an archive and place of education and experimentation- and I truly think that has been accomplished and exceeded! What the team at the Globe have accomplished and continue to create are truly incredible! A true academic highlight for me thus far, was going to The Globe's 25th Anniversary Teach-In event where we heard from reconstruction architects, theatre historians, costume designers, and the Artistic Director of The Globe herself, Michelle Terry!

We got to see their current production of "Much Ado About Nothing" after our induction/orientation in the Yard as Groundlings- and that was just an incredible theatrical experience! It's really hard to put into words what it feels like to study what you love where you love- the closest I can get is 'artistically fulfilling.' I was also about to catch the rest of The Globe's summer season: "The Tempest," "Henry VIII," and their original production of "I, Joan." There is some incredible artistry happening at The Globe right now, and London has such an incredible theatre scene! There's so much to see and so little time, but I'm so excited to bring you guys on this journey with me!