User:Lconroy

Lauren Conroy

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Overview

I came into this trip to London full of hope and excitement. I truly was not let down. My goals were to learn more about the modern Shakespeare plays, to explore the tech and scenic designs of the theaters here and create a little scene for a play. During high school, I attended two music classes that counted for my breath and at WPI, I attended two theater classes for my depth. Through those prior experiences and the then current classes, I began getting involved in theater production. During my first year at WPI I was the assistant lighting designer for , makeup artist and assistant sound engineer, I was super excited to get started. I fell deeper in love with theater.

Milestone 1

The Shakespeare Effect
Objective: Discovering how London influenced Shakespeare's writings in terms of writing style and each play's plot as well as the common themes his plays share.

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Milestone 2

Across the Pond and Through the Woods
Objective: Exploring the tech and scenic designs of London theater productions.

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Milestone 3

Capstone: Becoming a Playwright
Objective: Writing a short 5- 7 minute play scene with London themes.

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Activity Journal

The activity journal represents an ongoing log of reflections gained through each and every project activity on the calendar.

Week 1

Activity #1 Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London

Today, we took our first official (I guess the past couple days don't really count) steps into London and its deep rich culture. The day started off with picking ups some lunch, which consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich, a bag of chips (or crisps as the British like to call them) and a bottle of water. I then took a leisurely stroll to Farringdon station hopped on a train to Blackfriar station and a train to Westminster. Then I arrived, relatively on time, to our meeting place at Westminster Abbey to find the group.

When we walked into the Westminster Abbey, all I could think was how ornate it was. Each wall was decorated from floor to ceiling with statues and fancy tiling. We even got to see the chair where all the monarchy were coronated in. Funny enough, I never knew how much people revered the Royal family until I met our guide. He must have mentioned the Royal wedding and the royal coronation a dozen times. Fun fact, I didn’t know that Great Brittan was the first country to ever use the term the unknown soldier and didn’t know what the poppies meant. I had always known that poppies had some significance in World War I because they were always a person around Veteran’s day ask for a donation to a military service and in turn giving them a poppy, but I never thought to connect the two.

After we left Westminster Abbey we took a subway car to The Tower of London. The most impactful building was when we went to the Bloody Tower and we found out that King Richard III’s children were murdered by their uncle after the king died in order that he would immediately have the throne. I knew London had some dark history, but targeting children is where I kinda draw the line. On a bright side, the Crown Jewels of London were beautiful. There were so many beautiful gem encrusted swords and crowns that shown quite beautifully in the light! I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store!

Activity #2 St. Paul's Cathedral

On today's journey, the group ventured to St. Paul's Cathedral. The opulence of Christopher Wren's Baroque design was amazing. Every wall was covered with marble statues, detailed painting and colourful icons that helped every visitor focus on the importance of faith in their lives. It was amazing to learn that this building was the first of its kind to have a dome with a Baroque styled building. The Baroque style emphasizes the tension and the emotion of each motion portrayed in all the works of art. I also found it amazing that the church was rebuilt 5 times due to fires and wars and is still standing today.
The item that stood out to me the most was the cross like sculptures hanging from the two sides of the pillars that lead to the first altar. The Great War Commemorative Sculptures were created by Gerry Judah to remember those who had died in World War I (1914-1918) and were created back in 2014 of the 100th anniversary of WWI. Embedded onto each sculpture is intricate models of cities and settlements that were decimated by the conflict. The structures recall the pity and devastation that had occurred 100 years ago; the artist wants them to serve as a reminder to us of the destruction so we can prevent it from happening again. To me, the sculptures were so beautiful and so intricate. If someone only looked at it at face value, they may not have understood its significance. It reminds me that their beauty can come from pain but that we must be careful because beauty has a price.

Activity #3 British Museum

On our adventure to the British Museum, I recollected to a time when I first went to a museum back home. I had always wondered what it was like to live in each time period. During my days as a kid after going to a museum, I would picture myself living the life in the footsteps of an Egyptian worker or a Chinese empress, or a Medieval lady. Going to museums and other historic places are so much fun because it brings my mind to a new place.
The room I found most interesting was the Tomb-chapel of Nebamun which was located on the third floor of the museum. Nebamun was a rich accountant in the Temple of Amun at Thebes in 1350 BC. His burial place is one of many that helped scientists learn the differences of the lifestyles of the rich and the poor. Many images on his tomb portrayed a life of elegances and luxury, but there were several smaller images that suggested the poor had a hard, tumultuous life of service. It was interesting to learn that the religious beliefs of many of the poor were similar to the religious beliefs of the wealthy. Similarly, the rich and poor also played similar games such as Mehen, the Game of the Snake. Mehen was a board game which had each opponent race to around the snake’s head and get back safely before your opponent’s lion eats them. It’s kind of like chutes and ladders I guess.

Activity #4 The Natural History Museum

The first place my thoughts go to when some says the Natural History Museum in New York City. For some reason its one of my first conscious memories of walking around a museum and looking at each exhibit with awe and wonder. My favorite exhibit at the New York Natural History Museum was the full floor exhibit of dinosaurs. My family and I would spend our looking at each skeleton and fossil and to this day the dinosaur exhibit helps bring me back to when I was a kid amazed by the large T-Rex skeleton. That brings us to today when we made our journey to the Natural History Museum in London, England.
Today at the museum I had the odd, but warming familiarity of walking into the Natural History Museum. As I walked into the front entrance, I saw a stegosaurus and just knew that this was going to be awesome. The exhibit that I loved the most was the dinosaur exhibit, just like when I was a kid, with all the fossils and the skeletons of the large rulers of the past. It was like walking through my childhood even though I had never been to this particular museum. After several hours of dinosaurs, I visited the rest of the museum. The gemstones from the Hall of Minerals exhibit were gorgeous and the Restless Surface exhibit emphasized the importance of conservation so we have a future.
I decided to add to 3 articles.

Activity #5 The National Gallery

The building which holds The National Gallery itself was a beautifully planned architecture. I was kind of disappointed though with the art itself because the entire Impressionist section, which included Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Degas, was closed to the entire public. Similarly the da Vinci and the Michelangelo were not open to the general public. I guess I could have paid to see them. On the bright side, I did like the Christian art that was on display especially the work of Carlo Crivelli. His work was so realistic and reflected a mysteriousness to the icons and alterpieces he made. Overall this did not connect to my milestone, but I had a fun time exploring.
We also attended the St Martin-in-the-fields concert which showcased Nikolai Ponomarev, a pianist who played Bach, Liszt and Rachmaninov. It was amazing, but I may be guilty of falling asleep.

Week 2

Activity #2 Tate Britain

This museum, unlike the past few, exhibit art from all time periods including some very modern art. Much of the art in the recent years was modern and abstract. This made you think longer about each piece and what its meaning was. The most interesting exhibit was the exhibit, which had a video screen and bleachers for people to watch. It displayed self defense style danging which Incorporated a continuous rhythm. On the weekends they have people join in and follow the beat and the people on the screen.
This is the first place that has something related to my milestone. The Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing was exciting to see because its straight from A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is a play that Shakespeare wrote. I ended up writing a little paragraph or so on William Blake who was the artist.
After we went to the museum, we found the MI6 building, which to me looked like a high security prison. It was cool to see it none the less. We then went to a childrens park near by and played on the playground for a hour. Later that night, Katharine, Justine, and I went to the play Don Juan with David Tennant. I really did not know much about the play, a proceeded to find out that it was about a sex and drug crazed individual who dies for just to continue living his live the way he wanted to.

Week 6

Activity #5 Revisit a Relevant Site

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