Author: Eden Wilson | Major: Theatre | Semester: Summer 2024
The beautiful Tower Bridge
At the beginning of my freshman year, I went to a University of Arkansas Theatre Department meet and greet and visited a booth about the Theatre in London Study Abroad Program. Shawn Irish, the program leader, stressed to the students at the booth that this trip was life-changing. I did not anticipate how correct he was. I was persuaded by Professor Irish, and by former theatre students who went on this trip because they all said that if I decided to commit to London, I would not regret it. I was hesitant at first and intimidated by the funds needed to participate. My instructor encouraged me to apply for scholarships and have faith that my financial situation would work itself out. Because I grew up in rural Arkansas, I have not had many chances to watch professional live theatre, and I discovered that watching shows on the West End was an integral part of this program. I was elated to find out that after applying, I was awarded the Honors College Study Abroad Grant Award and the Sturgis Grant for Honors Scholars. Thankfully due to the Honors College, I could participate in a life-changing experience for my passion for my career, for free.
Theatre has been my place of catharsis and happiness since I was a little girl. I was reminded of why I do what I do, why I go to school, and why I put hard work in during this trip. I had the opportunity to see 17 theatrical productions in one month. Not many theatre students can say the same thing. Before we flew to England, we had classes that involved reading some of the material from the theatrical pieces we were going to watch, analyzing the plays, and discussing important topical questions and themes from them. This instruction was crucial when we arrived because it allowed me to watch the productions with prior knowledge and to pay attention to specific details when watching the shows live. It is quite wonderful to be able to understand how plays are written on the page and see them produced in real life—it is educational as an actor to watch how professional actors use stage directions, which are not explicitly stated on stage, to influence and guide their characterization. Socratic discussion was implemented in our education abroad, and our lectures after watching productions introduced new ideas and opinions to my own personal experiences. Not only did I have academic conversations with theatre majors who have narrowed their focus to acting, but I also heard from technical theatre makers, as well as Anthropology, Creative Writing, Computer Science, and Social Work majors. It was incredibly interesting to hear and see perspectives from those who have similar interests to me but exercise their love for live theatre in different ways.
My professor encouraged us to, when we had free time, allocate funding to watching productions outside of the itinerary. Theatre in the United Kingdom is significantly less expensive than professional theatre in the United States, so I had the opportunity to watch many productions on my own. I was surprised that I got inexpensive tickets to Hadestown that were upgraded to seats close to the stage on one of our days off. I had goosebumps the entire musical—I was blown away by the talent of the cast, as well as the quality of the production. Watching people devote their energy to embodying a story was entirely inspiring. After experiencing this musical, I was reminded of the impact that I want to leave on audience members after I perform a show. I was not expecting to be so moved, but I can confidently say that watching this production changed my life. My goal is to one day, make the impact on others that the team of Hadestown made on me.
Conclusively, I cannot thank the University of Arkansas enough for promoting this Study Abroad program. Given the opportunity to be in another culture, experience amazing theatre, and get close to my peers, who I can now say are my best friends, has changed me as a student and a person forever. After coming back to Arkansas, I feel that I see the world in a different light. I have more inspiration, more drive, and more hope for the future. I hope that any student looking for a new opportunity considers studying abroad. It is impossible to explain how much one month can alter how I perceive myself and what I want to do for the rest of my life.