My First Class in London Comes to a Close

     Today I took my final exam, and am now done with my class.

     This class was unlike any I have ever taken before.  We learned about plays from reading and discussions, and then went out and actually saw them (and then talked about them some more).  You need to get out and experience life; you can't learn about it disconnected in a classroom.  You need to see how everything works out in actuality in order to fully appreciate it.

     This class gave me that opportunity.  I had a chance to see shows all over London, including the West End, that I would not have thought to on my own, (with the exception on "Sweeney Todd," but the price may have scared me).

     Seeing these shows was not only an enjoyable experience, but has helped me from a theatrical stand point.  I love to learn about new shows and movies.  With movies, if you do not have the chance to see them in the cinema, you can later rent or buy them on DVD.  You have numerous opportunities to see new movies, as well as in a wide-budget accommodation, (whether you are going to go see it in IMAX 3D on opening day, or wait a year to borrow it from your local library).

     With a play, you have to go and watch it live (which time, location and price can be deterring factors).  Each time I go to the theatre, is a memorable experience.  Even if I can't stand the show, I walk away seeing the world a bit different (even if it is just to question how some people can get plays published or are professional actors, while I am still in school).  This class gave me the knowledge to look at a play through my role as a member of the audience.  Not simply "it was good" or "I didn't care for it," but to understand why I was feeling the way I was.  I also see how important the playwright actually is.  I know it sounds silly, but 7 times out of 10, the actors are the reason I go to see a production.  Now I see how central the script is to the message.  Not necessarily how the actors add their own twist on the characters, as I thought when only seeing it from an American acting point of view.

     The class was also fun.  I got to lead a discussion and write a paper on "Sweeney Todd," one of my favorite musicals.  To see it was amazing, but to be able to base all of my class work on it was thoroughly enjoyable.

     I enjoyed taking a class about something that had nothing to do with my major, and everything to do with what makes me happy.