2024 London: Day 4
March 26 in London started with a tour around the Shakespeare's Globe Theater! We had a chance to take a close look at the place where people in Shakespeare's time used to watch shows. We learned how less wealthy people suffered from the sun or rain because there was no covering, and how the nobles paid for the box seats with the worst view just to be seen by the people.
Next, we had a tour of the National Theater. We were led through the different theaters, seeing the process of making the huge props that were the size of a house, and we had the chance to see the prop-making and costume shops. Then, we went to a workshop based on The Lion King, where we learned to play as different animals using our body gestures and changing the sound and tones of our voices. We studied the movements of the animals and then became them!
The day ended with another stop at Covent Garden, where music was always being played. Food, jewelry, and decorations were everywhere. It is a great place to hang around with friends and spend a few hours experiencing the surroundings—like the great Chinatown nearby or simply relax and enjoy people-watching!
The photo challenge of the day was the word "stop," and the following is the winning picture!
Here's a summary of Days 3 and 4 from Margot P. '25:
On Sunday, we started the day by taking a brisk walk from our hotel to Notting Hill. On the way, we were all looking for something orange because there was a challenge to see who could take the best photo in orange. After exploring Notting Hill, we had lunch at a restaurant that doubled as a fashion store. Then, we wandered around the Victoria and Albert Museum, where we saw a replica of the Statue of David by Clemente Papi, the royal bronze founder and cast maker, from 1857, and countless other amazing casts of famous pieces of work. Once we finished, we went to a workshop and saw Buckingham Palace on the way. Our workshop worked on body language within a theatre setting. Finally, we finished off with dinner at a pub.
On Monday, we started our day with a tour of Shakespeare's Globe and learned the history of the building and revival of the Globe. Then we went on a backstage tour of the National Theatre, where they showed us their set shop, costume shop, props shop, and how they made certain props. We had the opportunity to see the sets for two of their shows, including the one we saw on Saturday. We then walked around Covent Garden, since our workshop on How to Embody an Animal Like in the Lion King was right near there.
