A Raven at the Tower of London

Author: Jack Duncan | Major: Computer Science | Semester: 2025

I spent around a month in, as the name of the program suggests, the United Kingdom, specifically London for the most part. As for why study theatre in London of all places? Well, the answer to that is quite simple. London and New York City are the two cities with the most amount of theatre in the world. However, compared to New York, London offers an even larger number of shows with cheaper tickets. The shows are also more varied and diverse with a larger number of actual plays, which I prefer, compared to the musical dominated Broadway. It is also one of the most important places in the world for theatre history, especially in the English-speaking world. It was the city where Shakespeare himself put on his plays, alongside many other influential playwrights. As someone who has always loved theatre, from acting, to working tech, to watching shows, this trip sounded like a dream to me, and it did not disappoint.

I was not alone on this trip. It was a faculty led program with professors Shawn Irish and Susan Marren, as well as fourteen other students. Many of our classes were discussion based, reflecting on the shows we saw together. These shows included classic plays such as The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie, the longest running play in the world, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We also saw some amazing adaptations, such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a musical based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, or My Neighbor Totoro, based on the Studio Ghibli movie. We also saw some newer, more experimental plays, like 1536, which focused on three young women living in the time of Anne Boleyn’ execution, and The Brightening Air, a surreal existential play about a dysfunctional Irish family. We would talk about the acting, the script, the technical elements, and any other thoughts we had about the show. We often disagreed with each other, which was actually quite nice. I’ve been in a lot of discussions where people were scared to actually debate, so it was refreshing to be with a group that was comfortable with expressing their opinions, making the discussions more educational and productive as a whole.

Discussions weren’t our only source of theatrical education. We also had an amazing opportunity to do a backstage tour of the Royal National Theatre. The building itself actually houses three different theatres inside, the Olivier, Lyttelton, and Dorfman, each with a unique layout. We got to go into two of the theatres, the Olivier and the Lyttelton, and learn about their history while the crew was preparing the space for the next performance. We also got to see the massive rooms where they made the sets, props, and costumes. The scene shop itself was larger than some entire theatres I’ve been to in my lifetime. It was amazing to see the inner workings of such a large theatre, and I would love the chance to be able to work on a show there.

My education wasn’t just limited to theatre, as I also learned a lot about the history of London itself. We got to visit many historical places, including the Tower of London, where most famously Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife, was imprisoned and executed. Another place we visited was Westminster Abbey, where many historical figures were buried, including many royals, as well as people like Charles Dickens and Isaac Newton.

We also went to other towns in England. One of these was the city of Bath, which contains the ruins of an ancient Roman bathhouse which the city is named after. As someone who is very interested in classics, it was so cool to see some Roman ruins in real life, structures so old they made the centuries old buildings in London seem young in comparison. Another town we visited was Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace. We got to see Shakespeare’s grave, as well as his childhood house, and the childhood house of his wife, Anne Hathaway. It was a bit surreal to visit the grave of not just one of the most famous playwrights, but one of the most famous human beings of all time.

I also got plenty of time to experience London outside of preplanned activities, whether that was on my own or with other travelers. One of my favorite parts of London was the Tube, an underground train service. It was a five-minute walk from the hotel to the nearest tube station, and from there I could go all around London in a relatively short amount of time. I took great advantage of this, but my favorite trip I took was to Denmark street. This was a street filled with music stores, especially guitar ones. I’m a guitarist myself, and I got to play a bunch of rare and unique guitars, including a double neck one. The most interesting part though, was how the entire street acted like a community. Multiple times I saw employees from one of the stores I had been to previously come into another store and ask to borrow something or talk. There was this feeling of connection between a bunch of different businesses that I hadn’t experienced before.

Overall, I had the most wonderful time in London. It was the longest I had ever been outside of Arkansas, much less the United States, and I think that helped me grow a lot as a person, becoming more independent and adventurous. I also had a great time with the other students on the trip, whether it was seeing a show with them or going to a market together. I am so grateful for this opportunity. The idea of studying abroad was one of the factors that led to me choosing the University of Arkansas, and I am so glad I did.