Well, it's my last night in the UK. Twelve hours from now, I'll already be in the air, heading back to the US of A, stopping in Pennsylvania before returning to wreck havoc on New York City. There are a lot of things I could tell you about right now, as my my brain is buzzing with so many thoughts and feelings and stories from this past year. I thought though that, as a way to narrow it down a bit, I'd tell you a few favourite moments from my magical year in London... a sort of recap before the next adventure begins....
No highlights list of mine would be complete without mentioning the night in Dublin when I crashed a posh 21st birthday party. A fellow female traveller and I had met earlier that week on a tour of Tara and Newgrange. We decided to meet up for an evening out, starting out normally with a dinner and some drinks. We then started wandering through the city, laughing and taking ridiculous pictures with some of the cheesiest of statues... including that tart Molly Malone. We were waking near Temple Bar when we heard an incredible (yes, that's right) piano rendition of Britney Spear's 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' wafting out of what I assumed to a bar... Naturally, we followed it to the source, which turned out to be the very classy foyer of some sort of private club, currently playing host to a birthday party full of very young, very blond party people. Helen and I were the only two brunettes in the bunch, and we quickly attracted a lot of male attention.... unfortunately, it all came from one guy, Colin, who was approximately 65, probably related to the birthday girl, and very very drunk. While we did rebuff his affections, we also did take him up on his offer of free drinks. So, to the unknown birthday girl, hope it was a happy one, and that you got all the blond hairdye you asked for!
Performing at the Battersea Arts Centre has to go on my list as well. Our sort of "Masters showcase" was held there this past May. If you've not been to the BAC, I can't recommend it enough! It's an old town hall building, with character coming out the wazoo, and lots of quirky rooms for performance. By a weird turn of events, I wound up having a room to myself... I veyr very quickly fall in love with the cavernous Council Chambers, with its stripped-down wooden floor and incredible acoustics. Plus, this marked my first international performance, in a piece that I had both created and performed in. A total out and out highlight!
But, performing theatre here isn't the only highlight... I also have been so fortunate to see some gorgeous stuff in the past 365 days. Productions at the Globe and the RSC, opera and ballet at the ENO, edgy work in pub theatres, the Proms at Royal Albert Hall, etc. etc. etc. I really feel in love with the arts scene here in the UK, with particular regard to experimental and envelope-pushing theatre. The performance community here is so rich and diverse. Some of my favorite shows have been Frankenstein at the National Theatre, Oh What a Lovely War at the Greenwich Theatre, Henry IV at the Globe and Krapp's Last Tape with Michael Gambon. I've really been able to see so very much here, and have loved being an audience member for some thought-provoking work.
When I was working for the Flare Festival in Manchester, I spent my last day in town nursing a tremendous hangover, the kind that just punishes for hours and hours and hours. I decided that, in true British fashion, all that I really needed was a good roast dinner. So I asked around, and found a little local pub to chase away my hangover with lots and lots of meat. The barmaid instantly recognized my symptoms, and with an understanding, "oh my poor darling," ordered me a huge roast, never-ending Coca Colas, and a three hour chat. I was introduced to all the regulars, and we all bonded over baskets (yep. baskets!) of Yorkshire puddings. Not only did my hangover disappear, but I had a great afternoon, feeling like I was somehow back in a small town, hanging out with familiar faces.... it was worth almost bursting the button on my trousers on the train home just to have such a cosy afternoon!
In another performance realm, I had the pleasure of seeing a pre-season friendly football match in London as well, which was terrific. I went to see my local team, the Tottenham Hotspurs, play Bilbao. Even though I went by myself, I instantly had friends in my section, namely a grandpa with his two very young grandsons. They taught me all the cheers, told me all about the players, and generally included me in their football revelry. The Bilbao supporters were a lot of fun too, starting a "wave" that made it's way around the grounds five times, and prompting the Tottenham crowd to give them a hearty round of applause. Interestingly, this same evening, the riots broke out in the same neighborhood, just as I was travelling home. It was surreal to have the two experiences so directly juxtaposed.
There are so many other things that have just been incredible this year.... visiting Stonehenge, running into Clive Owen in the checkout line at Whole Foods and chatting to him about pumpkin pie, visiting Paris at Christmas time, climbing the hills of Salzburg, standing in Kilmainham Jail, being my parents' tourguide for a whirlwind week visit, earning my Master's degree and completing a dissertation that I am really proud of, living with fantastic flatmates and making great friends in my class, sitting in the British Library to work and feeling like a part of history... the list goes on and on and on. This year has been the best of my life, and I couldn't be more grateful for this chance to take a chance.
I don't know what the next chapter in all this is, but do stay tuned. That Girl may be coming back stateside, but she's always an International at heart.
Love, Crumpets and Sandwiches with Butter,
TGI
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