Theatre « Marie on Manson

One Month

So, London and I have officially been together for one month…things are getting pretty serious…

I had a lovely Saturday! Avey’s dad and partner are visiting and took the Vassar group out for lunch. We went to Thai Square right next to the South Kensington tube station. Needless to say my stomach hasn’t been that happy in…quite a while. I stocked up on coconut rice and stir-fried veggies in oyster sauce.

I quickly headed over to the 2:30pm performance of 2nd May 1997 at the Bush Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush. Here’s the trailer:

Thanks to a connection I made through Solar Associates and Method, I secured two free tickets; Annie met me there and we went for a pint afterward at The Green pub. It was a lovely afternoon! I always love getting my culture on, I always love theatre, I always love catching up with my girl.

I then headed back towards home but decided to get off at High Street Kensington and stroll home through Kensington Gardens. Quite appropriately, I stopped for a moment of reflection with my Moleskine on the bench where John, Avey, Mike and I had our first lunch in London one month ago. It definitely was a full circle moment, and a feeling of completely content swept over me with a gust of wind from the blustery day. I’ve already had such a wide range of experiences thus far, enough to make me feel like I had a very successful first month. The most comforting fact, though, is that I know there are plenty more to come…

Published in:

on October 3, 2009 at 6:24 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: 2nd May 1997, Annie, Bush Theatre, High Street Kensington, Kensington Gardens, thai food

Battersea Arts Centre (BAC)

I am starting the draft of this post while sitting in the cafe bar at the Battersea Arts Centre, “the most influential theatre in London” for experimental performing arts. Housed in a former town hall and not intended as a theatre, the BAC is dedicated to creating an experimental space for arts that doesn’t neglect the history of the building, resulting in an amazing aesthetic. They are currently seeking a residential license so that artistic groups/companies can be based out of the building for months on end. The cafe is such a cool space full of equally cool conversations — at quaintly quirky tables artists and producers meet to discuss their philosophies, approaches, goals, and plans; and they are playing awesome old-school jazz jams.

My boss Tim asked me to meet him here this morning instead of the usual office at the HTTP gallery. The latest project for Solar Associates, Coney: A Small Town Anywhere, is gearing up for previews here Thu 15 October – Sat 17 October, with actual performances running through 17 November. Tim said I will probably be working at these, which is definitely an exciting opportunity and will mix up my usual schedule since I will be working until 11pm every night.

The day consisted of the usual tasks — book keeping and website updates/redesigns — but the change of scenery made the day special. I love discovering spaces like this in cities, places there for the communities they inhabit by providing a distinctive yet adaptive and welcoming area.

Just got to meet some Coney people over lunch, including Tracky, the Coney production manager who I will be working with starting next week.

I also managed to snap a few PhotoBooth images while alone/not in the direct line of others to give you a feel:

couches & fireplace

my view

my Mac's view, artists at the cafe counter/bar behind me

my Mac's view (hello there); artists at the cafe counter/bar behind me

hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go……….

Published in:

on September 30, 2009 at 1:08 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: BAC, Coney, Solar Associates

Theatre Thursday

FIE arranged for all students to go to a West End theatre performance, either Blood Brothers or The 39 Steps. I attended the latter, and even though Blood Brothers was a musical I was very happy to see “London’s funniest comedy!” The most glaring observation I had that night was how obnoxious Americans are — sitting in the blatant American student section was bit of a burden, not going to lie. We are just very….loud (and I say this recognizing the fact that I’m already loud to begin with). It was also very disheartening to hear the guy next to me say “Yeah…I actually hate theatre. My roommate stayed at home to sleep…that was smart.” I, on the other hand, LOVE theatre, completely embraced the evening, and got all dressed up in festivity (which worked out well, considering the neighborhood I ended up strolling through…).

Beforehand was just as enjoyable. After an interesting encounter at a Turkish restaurant near my internship (the ethnically authentic staff were captivated by the fact that Lauren and I were from America, and proceeded to cajole us into sitting down as opposed to the take-away options, resulting in 4 quid yet 5 course meal), I decided to get off at Green Park instead of stopping at home. What a great impulse! I meandered through Green Park to the Queen Victoria Memorial, down the Queen’s Walk to St. James Park, and down through the St. James area to Piccadilly Circus. I even saw my first royal car caravan race by and into the most regal real estate I’ve ever seen.

Once again, I loved flying (more like glacially gliding) through “a whole new world.” Call me a loner, but at least I’m a London loner