Gwyneth (Gwyn) Watson
UMBC Faculty-Led: Theatre in London
Major: Theatre
Minor: Dance
Jump To: Predeparture Post, In Country Post #1, Post #2
Predeparture Post
Hello all! My name is Gwyneth Watson, but most people call me Gwyn. I’m a theatre major with a dance minor focusing my studies in movement directing. I am an interdisciplinary artist who is constantly creating, problem solving, and looking at things in new ways. I love working on dance films, choreographing, directing, editing, and incorporating as many specific/varying design elements into my work as I can. When I first entered UMBC, I was a dance major planning to do a study abroad program through the dance department’s “Dance Denmark” program. But with the program, university, and the world still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, it began to look less and less likely. Fortunately, I now have the opportunity to join the theatre department’s new faculty-led program to study the various elements of the theatre arts in London and Liverpool, England! I am very excited for this opportunity!
So far in this program, we have met a few times to discuss the logistics of our trip, and to get to know each other better. We also spent a day at Baltimore’s very own Everyman Theatre to tour the backstage areas and observe part of a technical rehearsal. Later in the week, we were able to return to watch a preview performance of their current production, EMMA, adapted by Kate Hamill from the Jane Austen novel of the same name. It was an impressive performance with a very talented cast and designers, Including UMBC alum. The production kept the regal environment of the novel’s setting/timeperiod, but brought in many refreshing modern elements: some comedic and some reflective. Our journey to the Everyman Theatre was not merely to peek behind the scenes of a local production, but also to learn the theater’s history and its connection to the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, England. Our local Everyman was inspired by the established Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, a port city very similar to Baltimore! On our trip to England, we will be working with Liverpool’s Everman Theatre to gain a similar experience to that we had in Baltimore. I’m very excited to see how the two theatres compare, what elements of the original inspired ours, and how the behind the scenes processes compare.
I’m looking forward to exploring the cities on my own and with peers who share my passion for theatre. I’ve actually been to London, as well as other parts of England and the UK before, but it will be very different experiencing them as a college student and an adult with my own agency. I’m definitely nervous about traveling “on my own” for the first time, but I trust the group we have will be so supportive of one another! On a personal note, I’m extremely curious to see how I can adapt this trip for my disabilities, and how accessible the cities are in general to people with mobility and chronic health issues. I live with several chronic conditions that affect my mobility and energy levels differently every day. One of my goals for my time abroad is to observe how dynamic and invisible disabilities are accommodated differently from here, and to advocate for myself and my needs while navigating a new environment.
I hope to become a more independent, confident traveller both domestically and abroad. Prior research and planning on everything from expected weather to public transport has been very informative, and I believe will help me not feel as overwhelmed once we’re on the ground. Through this program I want to gain a deeper understanding of the theater scene in England, how things run similarly or differently from the states, work/rehearsal hours, technical equipment and preferred designs, and which programs are of most interest to me personally. We will be seeing a variety of plays at a variety of London theatres (some of which I’ve been wanting to see for a long time!) and doing workshops and lectures with many amazing guest speakers. All of that to say, there are a number of incredible opportunities to learn from skilled professionals as well as from each other! A huge goal I have is to get to know my peers who I’ll be traveling with better. On this trip, there is what I’d consider to be a good mix of new and friendly faces, and plenty of time to get to know one another better. What interests do we share? What connections can we make? What will we create in our short time together this summer? These are all questions I’m determined to answer as our trip goes on! Can’t wait to get started!
Oh! And to take many, many, many photos!! 🙂
In-Country Post #1
Oh WOW!
We’re only a couple of days into our trip and so much has already happened. Starting off… a bit chaotic actually, the flight most of us booked got delayed by roughly six hours!! Meaning we left the airport around 3:30AM EST, arriving in London in the late afternoon, rather than the morning. Needless to say that our jet lagged brains and sleep schedules have been a bit odd the past few days, but it created a group bond pretty quickly, as well as a crazy story to start off our trip.
We spent our shortened first day settling into our accommodations, which are dorm style apartments for travelers on short stays. The apartment I’m in has three bedrooms and two bathrooms shared between seven of our group members. It also has a living room and kitchen area that includes amenities such as a dishwasher and two-in-one washer/dryer. Having so many of us in one space has actually been an incredible opportunity to get to know each other better, make plans together, and have study sessions. Our accommodations are located very close to many public transport and dining options as well as various convenience stores, which has come in handy since we quickly realized we needed to grab a few necessities for the common areas like soaps, paper towels, and detergent. On our first morning here in London, a few people offered to make breakfast for anyone who wanted it, which was so nice (and delicious!)
Our days are split up into three sections: morning, afternoon, and evening. Typically, we will have class/workshops and/or go see a show for two out of the three sections, leaving us a portion of the day to explore the city, see other shows, rest, get food or run errands.
We’ve already attended a couple classes and workshops, and just saw our first show, War Horse, at the National theatre, which involved amazing puppetry and practical effects! We’ve been doing a lot of creative writing and journaling to learn more about our individual creative process and beginning to form ideas for our final project.
The other night, on one of our free evenings, a group of us ventured out to see the London Eye and Tower Bridge. We were able to see a number of notable landmarks along the Thames as we explored the area, taking pictures with the colorful city lights after dark. It turned into quite an adventure when it suddenly started pouring rain and we had to take cover under one of the many bridges along our route. We decided to push ahead and just live in the moment, navigating bus stops and walking routes in the rain and enjoying the cool temperature. As we were waiting for our last bus, we popped into a souvenir shop where I picked up some snacks, and later returned to buy some souvenirs for my family when the shop owner gave me a free keychain!
The environment on this trip has already been so supportive! Right from the jump –airport troubles and all– everyone has looked out for each other, which has only continued with our arrival. We’ll navigate the public transit together, make plans to get food, give each other schedule reminders, etc. Everyone genuinely cares for the wellbeing of everyone else, which I especially appreciate as I navigate travel with physical disability (seriously thank you to everyone who hauled my suitcase around the metro stations our first day!!!)
In-Country Post #2
Hello all!
It has been a crazy busy past week, packed full of incredible shows and various guest instructors. I’m writing this post while on the train from London to Liverpool, our second destination on this trip. Since we have yet to arrive, I will include more details about our time in Liverpool in my next post! Our group has only grown closer throughout our time here, not only making plans for outings, but opening up to one another. Vulnerability is an important aspect of theatre, and it’s amazing to see everyone –theatre major or not– go all in on every opportunity.
There have been a few culture shocks since arriving here. A big one is the taste and color of food/snacks that are also found in the US, as there are fewer dyes and preservatives used here. Another has been the sun staying up from around 4:30AM until 10:30PM (give or take)! Which has made it somewhat more difficult to gauge what time it is and adjust our activities accordingly. In addition, there is a much reduced police presence here, which we particularly noted when we saw Princess Kate and her children pass by in a car with very little escort while we were simply waiting to cross the street! There are also no water fountains here that I’ve seen, or accessible automatic-doors?
We’ve had our share of ups and downs while navigating the tube and buses, including heading in a few wrong directions before realizing our mistake. But overall, navigating public transit has been much easier than I thought it would be, and not nearly as nerve wracking since we often travel in groups. However it has been a bittersweet experience in terms of accessibility. I’ve struggled to find the words to explain how the city of London is somehow both more and less accessible than my experiences at home in Maryland. Public transportation has been an amazing time saver… but there were very limited stations that were actually step-free, causing more exertion to get to the platform anyway. The streets are incredibly walkable, but the maintenance (or lack thereof) of the sidewalks in some areas made walking with mobility aids difficult. Even venues that claimed to have accessible entrances or routes often had “just a few steps” to access most areas. This is not very different from my experience in the States, where the bare minimum is often counted as good enough to be considered accessible, but the needs of disabled people are not truly considered. I am very lucky to be ambulatory (able to walk), because “Just a few steps” is a huge roadblock for a lot of people.
However, I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of designated disabled bathrooms in public spaces. Their design is very good, and many include plaques saying “not all disabilities are visible”, which warmed my heart as someone with invisible illness/disabilities. There are also many available priority seats on all public transit, which are able to be used by anyone, but are reserved for when people less able to stand need them. A lot of encounters I’ve had with people on public transit have been amazing, with people offering me a seat even if it wasn’t reserved. I was also able to access a wheelchair for our visit to the Tate Modern Museum, which was incredibly helpful to me!
Just the other night we were able to see a performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, at the legendary Globe Theatre! We met briefly outside before the show to learn the history of the building and some interesting facts about its (re)construction in the 1990’s. The following day, we participated in a directing workshop using a scene from the play, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to act and direct again after a short break.
Before our visit to the Globe, we saw a few other shows, including The Play that Goes Wrong, which was absolutely stunning in its technicality, choreography, and timing! It might just be my new favorite play I’ve seen! (I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard at a play!!) It has been nice to have a mix of serious and jovial plays/musicals on our roster for this trip. Last night we saw The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which was a mixture of lighthearted songs of community, and the devastating weight of hardship. It also involved puppetry which, much like War Horse, had a profound emotional impact on the audience: showing the fragility of life through motion and stillness. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind also included remarkable dance and movement choreography, which if you remember is my focus of study. I found myself most emotionally impacted and inspired by the scenes where no dialogue was spoken, feeding the audience a deeper understanding of the character’s dire situation than could be said in words.
On one of our evenings off, a small group of us went to go see the musical SIX, which if you don’t know is a pop-concert-style-battle between the six wives of Henry VIII. It’s been on my list of shows to see for years now and I’m so glad I finally got to experience it –and on the West End! Myself, along with a few others in our group, like to collect something physical from each show we attend: a program, ticket, piece of confetti. Since theatre programs are formatted differently in the UK and must be purchased separately, we’ve been holding onto our tickets and any confetti we can manage to grab on our way out of the theatre. So far I’ve been having a wonderful time abroad, although all this travel has definitely got me tired. We’ve settled into our hotel in Liverpool by now, so I will update about the remainder of our trip next week!