First Class & Theatrical Performance
Students attended their first class at the Hotel today. They learned about the course expectations and assignments, discussed some of the key elements of theater, and previewed the first scheduled theater performance: "Orlando," based on the novel by Virginia Woolf.
It was a bit of an adventure getting to the theater today. We had intended to take the tube to Leicester Square, but our train was delayed due to a signal failure, so we had to get off the train and walk from Piccadilly Circus to where the theater was located. It also started to rain quite hard, which made it more difficult to navigate the crowds given the number of umbrellas that we had to dodge along the way. Although the group got separated amidst the chaos of the crowds, we were soon reunited outside the theater and made it to the performance with plenty of time to spare before the play was scheduled to begin. For a little under two hours, we journeyed through time with Orlando from the court of Elizabeth I to the present day as we contemplated the role of theater as a vehicle for exploring gender differences.
