Mthatfalvi

Mary Hatfalvi

Overview

The paragraph should give a three to five sentence abstract about your entire London HUA experience including 1) a summary of the aims of your project, 2) your prior experience with humanities and arts courses and disciplines, and 3) your major takeaways from the experience.

Milestone 1

How Shakespeare through the Centuries Still Lives On
Objective: To find the similarities and differences between the performance, dramatic elements and style of two interpretations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet performed in London at two different time periods. One play performed in 2016 at the Garrick Theatre, and another performed in 1867 at the Covent Gardens. In conclusion, to find that the original message of Shakespeare's play still lives on through the century.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 2

Storytelling through Ballet and the Woman Behind It
Objective: A research report on the recorded first ballet in London, Pygmalion which opened in 1734 at the Covent Gardens, and the famous dancer & choreographer Marie Salle. How this ballet choreographed by Marie Salle started a new way of ballet style and performance that is used today.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 3

An interpretation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Objective: A study into current and past performances of Twelfth Night resulting to a personal interpretation of a scene from the play. Rewriting and reenacting the scene using specific dramatic elements, mood & style. Resulting to a short film of that specific scene.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. If this milestone, for you, represents a humanities and arts capstone, please indicate so. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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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.

Activity #1 Westminster Abbey & The Tower of London

Westminster Abbey was an amazing place to visit. I learned so much about the British royalty and tradition. Some of the things I saw was the throne in which all royalty in England has been crowned in since King Edward I. Many famous people and royalty including Mary Queen of Scots, King Henry the V, Edward the Confessor, Queen Elizabeth I, Issac Newton and the unknown solder are buried and honored in Westminster Abby. You can read more in my article. Something ironic I would say is that Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I are both buried together even though they were at odds to say the least during their lifetime. Both Mary I and Elizabeth I are mentioned in my milestone 1 on Romeo and Juliet for influencing the time period when the play was written. The Abby was built in 960 A.D as a small Benedictine monastery. It was then later added on and built to be a church for royal coronations and burials by Edward the Confessor. The first monarch to be coordinated at the Abby was William the Conquer and all of the monarchs have been crowned there ever since. Something I found while exploring the Abby was a door that is closed off and there is a sign on it labeled the oldest door in England dated 1050. No one should leave London without seeing this church. Even though this site was not really relevant to my milestones, it is the most spectacular thing I have ever seen.

The Tower of London was a place I could get lost and spend all day in. There is so much history in the tower and the area you would not be at a lost for things to do. Many sad things happened in the tower for instance Edward V and his brother Richard were sent to the Bloody tower by their uncle who become Richard III. They were never seen or heard from again and the bodies of two young boys were found in front of the white tower. They are said today to be the two princes. Another man who was held at the tower and later beheaded was Thomas More. He was a friend to King Henry VIII and did not agree with his rule of being the new head of the church. He was taken to the Bell Tower as a prisoner and later beheaded. Besides executions, the tower did house things like royal coin minting, royal observatory and the crown jewels. This place was another non relating milestone cite. Mentioned in my milestone 1, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth through their influence on the time period might have inspired the play Romeo and Juliet. The Tower of London was another amazing place to see and I would go there again when I visit London in the future.

Activity #2 St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral is a place where history, religion and modern culture combine. What I found really cool was all the statues and plaques that commemorate the soldiers, generals and warriors of Britain. St.Paul's Cathedral is a place where the non royal heroes of England are honored and remembered. The art in the cathedral goes from mosaics on the arches of the dome to TV screen art using slow motion and effects. One piece that I was inspired to write an article on was The Martyrs in St. Paul's Cathedral by Bill Viola. For one of my milestones I want to do an interpretation of Twelfth Night. The Martyrs is an interpretation of the biblical theme hope and death on earth. This style of interpretation is something I would like to recreate in my project. The crypt under the church held tombs of warriors including Lord Nelson and Arthur Wellesley the Duke of Wellington. Even though this site was not greatly related to my milestones it was a good place to see.

Activity #3 British Museum

The British Museum was a very cool place to visit. There was a lot to see and it took me an hour an a half to see just one floor for Egyptian history. There was so much history in the museum from ancient Egypt, to Africa, to Roman times to modern America. The most interesting exhibit to me was the mummies from ancient Egypt. The museum had mummies from Egyptian kings to unknown men & women. I started and contributed to an article on this exhibit and you can read more here.
This museum did not have much anything to do with my milestones. Though it did have an exhibit in the Greek artifacts on Music and Dance. Theater was a form of entertainment in ancient Greece. They even had an ancient theatre in Epidaurus which was designed for large seating and sound amplification. Modern outdoor amphitheaters work and are design like this one. This museum was a fun and interesting experience. It is a great place to learn about the origins of all of the different cultures from around the world.

Activity #4 Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum was a huge museum about all of the natural history of the world. There were exhibits on mineral rocks, space, natural disasters such as earthquakes & volcanic eruptions and of course fossils of animals. One exhibit that I thought was interesting was about the Natural Disasters of Earth. The museum had a remake of the affect and feeling of a 1995 earthquake in china. I contributed to the Natural History Museum with an article on the Human Evolution exhibit since I found it also interesting.This museum was not directly related to any of my milestones. However, there was a minerals exhibit on diamonds & special rocks in jewelry I found that could have been used in costume jewelry for the plays and performances my milestones are about. The museum is definitely worth seeing if you are researching about natural history.

Activity #5 National Gallery

The National Gallery was a beautiful place to step back in time and find yourself in the lives of the work of art. I loved the original paintings by Leonardo da Vinci especially the on called The Virgin of the Rocks. Sadly I could not get to see Michelangelo but I got to see so many other artists including Claude who I wrote a contributing article on in The National Gallery. All of his paintings in the gallery are on landscapes. This museum was not a direct relation to my milestones. I though was inspired by a painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau called Perfect Harmony which counter-relates to my milestone 1 on Romeo & Juliet in a way that their lives were not perfect harmony. Other paintings I saw were about lovers and Romeo & Juliet were lovers. Overall the Gallery was a beautiful place to visit.

Activity #6 National Theater's Adaptation of Twelfth Night

Going to see National Theater’s Twelfth Night was an amazing experience. The performance was done beautifully. The style of the play was a mix of Shakespearean period and modern 21st century. One scene had a 1950's vehicle when another scene had costumes from Shakespearean time period. The main theme that I got from this interpretation of Twelfth Night was that Shakespeare is timeless. The characters mostly spoke in Shakespearean language with humorous twists to some of the words.

The set design was spectacular. I absolutely loved the concept and outcome of the set. It was a triangle staircase with rooms inside that created many scenes. The set could be a garden, a living room, a street alley, a club, and a church. The opportunities were endless. I loved the acting in this interpretation also. The characters made you feel like you were back in time despite the modern twist. An interesting decision that the creators did in this play was to switch some of the character’s genders. For example, the Clown and Monsieur Malvolio were women. This gives the impression that sexual orientation equality was also a theme for this interpretation since Malvolio is supposed to have a affection towards Olivia. Music throughout the play was mainly jazz with clarinets & saxophones but there was also some modern club music for the party/club scene. Going to see this play was part of my requirement for my milestone 3 since it is about doing my own interpretation of Twelfth Night. The whole play was done excellently and I would highly recommend going to see it.

Activity #7 Tate Britain

Tate Britain was an interesting museum. I usually do not appreciate modern art but this museum made British modern art genuinely interesting. One modern British artist that I wrote about in Tate Britain was named Joseph Turner. He is apparently known as the father of modern art. His pieces of art were very interesting to me. Other art pieces I found interesting were Derek Jarman's Blue which he made while he was losing his eyesight from a terminal illness, and a art film called together. Blue was inspiring in the sense of making something extravagant from a single element. Visiting this museum was not related to any of my milestones other than the acting styles in the film art that can used towards my milestone 3 film. Overall this museum was an interesting place to visit.

Activity #8 Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum had a lot of amazing collections and I need to go back there again to revisit some of the exhibits. I admired the fashion through the Victorian age till the modern time in the fashion exhibit. There was a lot of Religious Renaissance art there that was also very beautiful. What was interesting was that they had a complete exhibits on materials used for art and building. There was a glass, jewelry, portrait paintings and Theater & Performance exhibits.
The Theater and Performance Exhibit was directly related to all of my milestones. This exhibit was where I spent most of my time. There was advertisements, pictures, costumes and set design miniatures all around this exhibit. I liked the costumes that was brought in from Wicked (the wicked witch costume) and The Lion King. On display was miniatures of the layout of some of the greatest theaters from around England. This exhibit is something I need to visit this museum again. I did contribute an article on the Theater and Performance Exhibit on the Victoria and Albert Museum page.

Activity #9 Backstage Tour of Royal Opera House

The backstage tour was incredible! I got to see so many things that went on behind the scenes of one the oldest theater houses. On display was the miniature set designs for past performances that were used for visual representation and to perfect the overall performance design. Our guide told us that they can spend 8000 pounds on just the miniature set! This is because that they do not want to get things wrong for the real set and mistakes can be made on the miniature. Another interesting fact about this Opera house that I didn't know was that it has survived 2 fires. For my milestone 2, I am looking at the first ballet that was performed at the Theater House (what it was called before the second fire) in 1734.
We got to see the props area and learned where the word props comes from. Back before the Royal Opera House was built for the third time in 1858, Rich nobles would sit on the actual stage with the performers instead of in audience boxes that are still around at the Royal Opera House. They would take the props from the stage after the performances. The stage workers then started to stamp the props "theater property" to stop the people from stealing them each night. That is where we got the word props.
We got to see backstage where they use a neat way of moving sets by lowering the floors and moving the whole floor. We also go to see one of the many ballet studios for practice and rehearsal. There we also learned that the Royal Opera House has 3 costume studios. Overall the tour was a really educational experience and I learned so much about the Opera House.

Activity #10 Tate Modern

Tate Modern was interesting. I really didn't get most of the art but I can get the meaning behind some of the art. For example, there is a flag that was made with the blood, soil and fabric from the drug wars in mexico. I got the message of the sad events that the artist is trying to show however I am not at all comfortable with using human blood and battle soil for art. Makes me cringe. Maybe that is the idea though who knows. A video on how not to be seen was very funny. I could not take it seriously but it was informative. One piece of art that I wrote about in the Tate Modern article was called Babel. It was a tower that was supposed to represent the tower of Babylon and the outcome of many different languages people speak now. The tower was made from radios and throughout the tower the radios were broadcasting things. I could not make out anything they were saying. It was really interesting. Nothing from this museum related to my milestones at all really. The acting in the videos maybe. Overall, the museum had its good parts and its bad parts.

Activity #11 Backstage Tour of National Theater

Doing the backstage tour of the National Theater was a great experience. I got to see both the Olivier and Lyttelton Theatre. I got to learn that this theater was built to showcase & persevere classic plays and also take them into the future. The Olivier theater has a grand drum floor that is used to bring sets or scenic props up and down the stage. It is the only one in the world that is this extravagant and functionally used, The Olivier theater was built inspired by the Greek style stage of Delphi. This is for the audience to like they can see everything and for the actors to be able to see all of the audience.
The workshop used to make all of there sets was huge. They make most of there stage sets for every show but sadly have to take them apart and recycle them after the show is over. There costumes department is stored in a warehouse and anyone who pays can use costumes from that warehouse. Why even Warner Brothers used costumes from the National Theatre warehouse for Harry Potter. Visiting this theater was related to my milestones to research and see all of the aspects and work that goes into putting on a show.

Activity #12 Museum of London

The Museum of London takes you back in time to before London was London and then gives the history of how London came to be London. I found this museum very interesting. Moreover I found a model of the Rose Theatre which was a theater similar to The Globe Theater at the time of Shakespeare. Shakespeare works were also performed there as well. Sadly it was left deserted in 1605. I greatly admired the London before London and medieval London exhibits. It was very interesting to see all of the different artifacts that were discovered including the Roman wall that is partially preserved on the museum site today. Overall the museum was a great learning experience and it made me appreciate London more.

Activity #13 Twelfth Night at the Globe

The Globe Theater's interpretation of Twelfth Night was not what I was expecting. It was more of a Robin Hood Men in Tights style and humor that was used. Obviously the original Shakespearean wording was kept but it was modernized. For example, Sebastian and Viola were white naval officers. The clown/narrator was a drag queen. What was interesting was the big age differences. Olivia, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Duke Orsino all looked to be over 30. When Maria, Sebastian and Viola were all young actors. The Malvolio character was played by a short girl dressed as a man.
One interesting thing about the set was some of the hidden messages. The four life saver rings each had a word that together made the message 'In Love We Trust'. Compared with the other interpretation at the National Theater, this felt more modernized. I was surprised. Especially since this play was at The Globe Theater I thought it would be more Shakespearean time period. Overall though it was a good show.

Activity #14 BMW London Symphony Orchestra Open Air Classics Concert

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) preformed live at Trafalgar Square. The crowds were large because this free concert is only done once a year. It was impossible to get into the seating area so I was inside the area but had to see the concert on the big screen. I heard about the LSO from the movies like Star Wars I watch. It was an amazing experience to see them live and for real. The three pieces that they preformed were written by a Russian composer Rachmaninov. Behzod Abduraimov who was the visiting star piano player was amazing. He played his parts like it was second nature to him. I was so impressed especially since he didn't even have music.
One of my favorite parts of the concert was for the second movement they invited the LSO On Track Young Musicians and students from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama to play with the LSO. They played so well and the young kids looked like they were living the dream. Which is understandable, who wouldn't want to play with the LSO. The LSO played beautifully and I loved being there.