Author: Anna Phillips | Major: Anthropology | Semester: Summer 2024

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre: Where we saw Much Ado About Nothing

My name is Anna Phillips. I have finished my freshman year at the University of Arkansas and will soon enter my second year. I am an Anthropology major under Fulbright College and chose to go on the UofA Faculty Lead Theatre in London study abroad program this summer semester of 2024. We spent 28 days in England, mostly staying in London but also traveling to Bath, Oxford, and ending our trip with a stay in Stratford-Upon-Avon. As a group, we were able to see thirteen incredible theatre performances and visit some amazing sites like Shakespeare’s childhood home, his grave, the Roman Baths, Oxford University, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tower of London, and so much more. Every day was filled with excursions to the most exciting places, and my exposure to theatre has never been greater. The opportunity to see so many shows—huge, globally produced performances like Hamilton to intimate fringe theatre shows like Bluets—was something I never imagined I would be able to do. To go on this trip with fellow theatre lovers, who were all more knowledgeable and experienced than me, was very special and insightful. I learned so much about theatre, each show we watched seemed to rewrite my idea of what I thought theatre could be. The acting, lighting, staging, sound, was all so fascinating to watch and was incredibly unique from show to show. The variation of the shows we went to was perfect for showing us all what theatre can be. Getting to hear my teachers and fellow students’ responses to the shows was also interesting and insightful. They knew more about theatre—acting techniques and stage design—than I did as they were all theatre majors of some type or another. I was the only non-theatre major, but I felt it was actually great for me to go in without expectations, see such great and interesting performances, and to hear from my peers their insider thoughts on the shows. We met up for class several times throughout our trip to discuss the shows we had seen. That was when I heard their different perspectives, and our instructors taught us more about theatre and what we had seen. That kind of interactive learning is so special and powerful, and I feel such a connection with theatre now that I am so grateful to have. The opportunity to go on this trip has been one of the greatest of my life and I will remember it forever. Our assignments were mostly to write blogs about our various outings and about the shows we saw. They were posted where my parents were able to follow me along and learn about all we did, which I know they loved and appreciated. When I first pitched to my parents the idea of me going to a Theatre in London study abroad, they were understandably surprised and a bit hesitant, as I am majoring in Anthropology. But I was drawn to it not only by my love for theatre (which has since only intensified) but because I could tell what an incredible opportunity it was. And I felt like it also furthered my Anthropology education. Anthropology—being the study of people and human cultures—was something I was able to think and learn about throughout the whole experience. In the shows, in the different city, being a foreigner, there were so many aspects I could view from an Anthropological perspective and learned a lot from. I am so grateful to my parents, the University of Arkansas, my incredible instructors Shawn Irish and Susan Marren, and my peers, now friends, for making this study abroad a most interesting and enjoyable experience that I now can’t imagine my life without.