In case anyone was wondering, I take classes at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, which is sort of fantastic when you acknowledge the fact that this place launched Jackson Pollack, Pop Art, Optical Art, and several influential contemporary artists in the BritArt scene, i.e. Damien Hirst. While you can debate the quality and significance of those artist-movements, it's hard to deny their popularity. Some of their claims strike me as lofty. I'm skeptical of the claim the ICA posseses the heartbeat of artistic trends, but I do admit the people here have a good sense of what to put their label on.
ICA is housed in Nash House, which, like everything else in England, has a fantastic history. It was originally going to be a palace for a up-and-coming prince, but he was made King before he ever had the chance to inhabit it. I've forgotten which one. It's situated on the Mall (which is the ceremonial road leading up to Buckingham palace), right next to the Duke of York steps, and the neighborhood is rich with sights. St. James Park, right across the way, is a wonderful spot to take lunch, but they charge you two pounds to sit in a chair. (The British are perfectly comfortable with being charged for anything and everything above the bare essentials).
I have three classes, Theatre in London, Art and History of London, and Advanced Playwriting. The third class is the primary reason I'm here -- the first two are just a nice to chance to visit all (some) of the galleries and shows in London. London's West End and Fringe are vibrant. I would say moreso than Broadway and off-Broadway in New York, but that is only because, culturally, the British are more accepting of traditional theatre (not to say there isn't a fair number of musicals going on in mainstream theatres -- all the usual offenders, Les Mis, Avenue Q, Spamalot, et cetera).
My playwriting class has been really phenomenol so far. It's a great return to foundations -- with a lot more practice then I ever had before. The single defining feature of school this semester is an increased workload, which is exciting, what with visible improvement each class period.
Also, before I forget, they have something called 'tutorials' in the British education system. Essentially, every student is expected to meet with the instructor every week or so for about a half an hour for one-on-one guidance and instruction. I'm told that is just the way it's done here, and not just a feature of our course. I haven't had my first meeting yet, but I'm looking forward to it, despite a little apprehension (our instructor, while brilliant, is a little blunt).
The other exciting part about this program is that Tisch (my college back in New York) only sends a total of 32 students (16 actors, 8 playwrights, and 8 BBC students). Although actor's can be obnoxious at times (the general consensus is that for every bit of confidence stripped away in class, their confidence outside of class doubles) it's enjoyable to finally interact with that side of the program. Back at Tisch, for example, actors and film students cross paths much less frequently then you'd think.
When we finish our plays, we'll cast actors from their program to do staged readings of them. Should be all right.
4 comments:
Hi Tim:
Interesting post! I think you know I share your enthusiasm for England.
I'm interested in learning more about the tutorial method you mentioned. Valuable? Useful?
(Uncle) Mike
that's how all school ever should be. my animation teacher instituted weekly meetings too this year.. in one half hour i learned everything he teaches in his stop motion class. i think its a fantastic idea, especially when you're dealing with a whole class of huge artistic undertakings! like your class and mine, tea.
<3
I'm not sure how I feel about the tutorials yet. I think they'll get more productive as we get into the meat of our plays.
So far it's the sort of thing that is as useful as you make it.
That's been my experiences with tutorials as well...
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