Recap of Life (continued)

The Riverboat Party: The night of ‘WalletGate’, BADA hosted a dinner party for everyone at the Cherwell Boathouse and Restaurant. The restaurant was located along a lake with boats available for hire if we wanted to go punting. Punting is a boating activity that a mix between canoeing and riding a gondola. We had dinner in a huge tent that overlooked the lake and there was a dance afterwards which was pretty fun.

Trip to Stratford: After I received confirmation that my belongings were safe and sound, I began to finally 'enjoy' the sites of Stratford-Upon-Avon. We arrived in Stratford around noon, in which we were given the leisure to venture the town on our own. The weather was very nice for a change so my friends and I decided to take a double decker sightseeing bus around Stratford. The tour was really nice! We went to Shakespeare's home, his grave, Anne Hathaway's (Shakespeare's wife) cottage, Shakespeare's mother's home, and all thorough the countryside. The landscape was beautiful, nothing but miles and miles of grassy, hilly plains with lots of sheep and horses. Once we got back to the center of town we walked along the lake. It was amusing to see that everything in the town of Stratford has some sort of connection to Shakespeare......everything!!!! They have shops like Othello's Tavern, or The As You Like It Cafe'; they were so cute!!! lol. In the evening, we went to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to see A Winter's Tale by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The production was amazing!!!!!!! This was my first time seeing A Winter’s Tale and I was proud of the fact that I could actually follow what was gone during the show!

John Barton Masterclass: Throughout the course of the weeks, classes are required to attend a masterclass instructed by John Barton. We observe him coach students who were selected to work with him perform their sonnets...This guy is a BIG DEAL. He is Shakespearean theatre royalty and highly regarded throughout England and the world for his contribution and influence in Shakespearean theatre. The man has been around for a long time, and I do mean loooonnnnggg time (hehe!). He honestly looks like he is in his late eighties or early nineties. But the fascinating thing about him is that he is extremely sharp and has a vibrant personality (aside from the fact that he keeps a whiskey bottle stashed behind his chair and sips his whiskey in a styrofoam cup.) He is so knowledgeable about breaking down the text of Shakespeare and adapting it into a way that is clear to understand. I definitely took a lot from his master class; he is truly a remarkable man.

Recap of Life....

YYYOOOO!!!!! I've been displaced for far too long from my blog, it's ridiculous!.....I've got a lot to fill you in on so here we go:

Last weeks events:

WalletGate 2009: I lost my wallet and camera ya'll!!!!!!! Okay, on last Friday night I was out with my friends at our favorite clubs and we were having a good ol' time. The night was perfect and (I thought) nothing went wrong. So the following day, the BADA students took a trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare's home and go see a show at the Royal Shakespeare Company. As I am preparing to leave my room, I noticed that my purse was lighter than usual. I opened my purse, and to my disappointment and fear....my wallet and camera was gone. I freaked out! Lol, I was hyperventilating and shouting 'No, No, somebody got me! 'I'm a statistic!!!. Immediately I called home to inform my parents of what had happened and we cancelled my credit cards. I was devastated. Luckily, my friend Jaleesa knew the club promoter and she called him and asked him to call the club. Amazingly, the manager at the club found my wallet and camera and nothing was tampered with. I WAS SOOOO RELIEVED!!!! God was definitely looking out for me, because my whole trip would have been ruined if my wallet was gone.

Classes: I am adjusting to the rigors of my work. Im not as overwhelmed as before and I actually enjoy Shakespeare now (lol). The more I read the more I get comfortable with the language and actually appreciate it. I have a new Shakespeare instructor and her name is Madeline Potter. She is a working actress from the States and she is absolutely wonderful. The way that she breaks down the text and connects the words with emotion has really opened my eyes. I am doing much better in class too and that makes me feel a lot better too. I feel like I have finally found my niche and I am confidence is back again.

Pushing to the limit....

I'm back!...(for the moment). This past weekend I went to London with some friends from Howard who are also in the program. We a had a nice time, it just rained the whole time which was a bummer. London reminds me so much of New York. I traveled to London about seven years ago and it didn't look as modern and cosmopolitian as it does now, so that was an interesting surprise. We visited Big Ben, the London Eye, Leicester Square (the Brits call it the Times Square of London), and Camden Town, which is in north London. They have an open-air market called Camden Market, it looks just like Little Five Points. We had plans of going to a club in London but the rain got so rough we decided to go back to Oxford. I would like to go back to London if I get the chance and explore more of the city and to see a show too. We wanted to see a show as well, but they weren't offering student priced tickets at the box office when we got there.

I've been away for a while because the rigor of the program is getting harder! It is no joke. As of now I have three scenes to memorize, two monologues to present and sonnets to have ready at any moment;and that is just my homework. I am definitely breaking old habits (like procrastination) because there really is no time to be unprepared. I appreciate the fact that I am taking the initiative to be more discipline with my work, but I have to admit it is hard because at times I feel overwhelmed and I just want to relax. Everything in due time I suppose....:)

As my first week is coming to a close, I feel like I have been here at least two weeks already instead of only four days. Ever since Monday I have been working non-stop with reading plays, rehearsing scenes, performing monologues etc. I have very little down time and I'm starting to feel worn out. In classes, my professors are progressively pushing all of us harder and demanding more out of us. I have to be honest, it has been a little rough getting used to the fast pace but I'm gonna push on through!!! I've been getting critiques from my professors about my work that has me in a bit of a whirlwind. I have to keep reminding myself that what they are telling will benefit me as an actor and not let it effect me negatively (today especially). I'm looking forward to this weekend because I'll have a chance to regroup and come prepared for what next week will bring, we are constantly told that it will get harder......I'll keep you posted.

First day of classes

My, my, my, today was a looonng day. It was the first day of classes and I am beat! I feel like I am back at Spelman because I have two plays to read and a scene to prepare for tomorrow. My day started with my physical class and that was a lot of fun. We played a variation of games and movement exercises. My instructor is Nick Barnfather, he is a renowned teacher and coach from London with a very witty personality. After that I went to modern taught by Floyd King and he is absolutely hilarious! He was the Shakespeare professor at Juilliard for a little over 15 years but in 2008 he left and now he teaches at George Washington University. Modern is a class that focuses on works from contemporary playwrights. My group is studying George Bernard Shaw. I take voice after lunch and that is taught by Linda Gates, she is a professor of speech at Northwestern. My day ends with Mark Wing-Davey in Shakespeare. This class is very intense. Mark Wing-Davey is the new chair of the graduate program at NYU. He is a very nice man but he takes his work very seriously. My group and I have to do a scene for him tomorrow and I hope that it goes well..... That's all for today! I gotta get to work now :)

Oh, Good news! My laptop is working again so pictures will be coming soon!!!!! :)

I'M HHHHHHEEERRRREEE!!!!!!!!

Hey Ya'll!!!!!

I'm finally settled in on campus and I must say that even though it looks like Harry Potter's stomping ground, I really like the friendly and laid back attitude of Oxford. The flight over here was decent. I had an aisle seat on the outer side of the plane with one other person. She was a black girl from London who looked Lil Kim's long lost cousin...Lol! She was nice but her breath smelled like a mix between cigarettes and liquor....what she was doing in Atlanta I have no idea....you tell me! (hehe). There was this white lady who was behind me who was just out of control. She just couldn't sit still and she constantly poked me in the back with her knees. Then she had the nerve to prop her feet on my arm rest!!! I was through!!! I kindly asked her to remove her feet and she did, and then I was able to enjoy the rest of my flight. On a positive note, when I was walking through the airport I passed this perfume shop that was playing Micheal Jackson's 'Working Day and Night' and that put a huge smile on my face. MICHAEL LIVES YA'LL!!!!! (LOL!) When I get some real good money under my belt, im going to buy a car from London. I know that sounds alittle crazy but the cars here, especially Audi's, BMW's,Benz, Porche, and Range Rover's, look absolutely beautiful over here (pics are coming later). I've seen models over here that aren't in the states and I just want one....one day :)

I am staying at Balliol (BALLY-OIL) College. My room is on the top floor of the Russell Bldg. That is where all of the textbooks, and other BADA offices are held. My room is very dated looking but neat (lol, I'm glad that I bought those Clorox wipes because I have been cleaning a storm). The cleaning ladies are called 'scouts' and they provide fresh bath towels and change the linen daily (that's really cool!). I've met some very nice people here as well that are apart of the program. There are some students from Howard, UCSD,UCLA, and all over. As soon as I arrived I was informed that I had to audition to see what group I will be placed in. My original audition was supposed to be at 10:30am, but I didn't arrive on campus until 12:30ish, they let me audition at 4:30 instead. I think it went well overall. Tomorrow I'll find out which group I'll be in, get my textbooks, and weekly schedule. Well, that is how day one went! I will have plenty of stories to come. My laptop is down so I can't upload pics at the moment but they are coming!!!!