Sydni’s Summer season Overseas at Shakespeare’s Globe
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Doing a examine overseas program generally is a life-changing expertise. Simply ask Sydni, a school scholar from Hofstra College and an AIFS Overseas Alumni Ambassador who spent a summer season finding out in London on the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.
Now that she’s formally a part of our alumni group, Sydni can mirror on her examine overseas expertise at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. Learn on to listen to all about it in our current interview together with her.
“My favourite highlights from this system was being given the chance to work with a number of inventive professionals within the theatre business in London and studying extra in regards to the metropolis of London and historical past of Shakespeare.”
Sydni, AIFS Overseas in London, England alum at Shakespeare’s Globe
Q: Hello everybody! I’m right here at the moment with Sydni. Why don’t you introduce your self?
A: Hello, my title is Sydni Rivero. I’m a present Senior at Hofstra College and I took the AIFS Shakespeare Globe program [in] Summer season 2023.
Q: That’s superior. Can I ask why you selected that program particularly?
A: Yeah, so after I was searching for finding out overseas, I used to be very particular. One thing that I all the time needed to do was examine overseas in London for theater. At my particular college, they’ve a extremely arduous time with my main in finding out overseas since there [are] plenty of lessons that now we have to tackle campus within the spring, within the fall. So one thing that basically labored out effectively was that this was summer season program, so it didn’t need to intrude with the everyday class work that I needed to take each semester. I additionally had a pair pals who did it the 12 months prior who had glowing responses about their experiences, so I knew it was an excellent match for me.
Q: As you mirror in your time once you had been overseas, had been there any educational objectives or private objectives you set for your self? Did you obtain these objectives or did you make any progress on them?
A: Yeah, for certain. One in every of my most important issues was simply actually exploring the town and getting a holistic studying expertise of the historical past on my a part of the top, and in addition simply how theater is sort of completed there. I really feel actually pleased with my expertise there. I really visited the British Museum so I realized loads about historical past by way of that, and it was actually cool to see what they thought was essential to place of their historical past museum. I used to be additionally strolling previous tour teams of elementary college center college youngsters to see what rising up in London — what a scholar could be studying on a day-to-day foundation at a area journey. In order that was actually cool.
I additionally acquired to see a ton of reveals whereas I used to be there. Some highlights, I acquired to see Moulin Rouge, which is one in every of my favorites, and I acquired to see some performers that I’ve been following on Instagram and YouTube for some time who had been in it. In order that was actually nice expertise. I additionally acquired to see Oklahoma which was a revival that transferred from Broadway to London, and I hadn’t been capable of see it on Broadway. So, I used to be very excited to see this explicit manufacturing — because it was so completely different from the unique — in London. And likewise see sort of the response a London theater must an American manufacturing
Q: Is there one thing that you simply realized once you had been in your program that you could be not have in the event you didn’t examine overseas?
A: So, my program was very specialised. I used to be doing Shakespeare stuff at The Globe — plenty of appearing primarily was the main focus. And we did some uh literature evaluation, as effectively. However one thing that I wasn’t actually conscious of was the best way that Shakespeare was supposed to be carried out, or at the very least the best way they do it at The Globe. My college’s very huge on Shakespeare — I’ve seen plenty of Shakespeare, completed plenty of examine right here. Over there in The Globe, they do it a really completely different method. It’s in a really distinctive area, the place you’re performing to folks in entrance of you, above you, and on the edges of you. So studying about retaining nearly a 360º perspective of the audiences in your thoughts whilst you’re performing and retaining your complete physique alive was one thing new. And the connection that each actor made with the viewers member, it was so collaborative — viewers member and actors with the storytelling. Seeing that stay was so thrilling, as a result of the viewers was within the story nearly. The actors could be speaking to one another after which they’d take a look at the viewers member and be speaking to the viewers member in regards to the struggles that they’re having with the actor that’s on stage. And the monologues and soliloquies would even be [spoken as] a heart-to-heart with a pal within the viewers. In order that sort of connection is just not one thing I’ve ever seen in Shakespeare earlier than. It made it much more digestible, since it’s a troublesome language, and made much more sense from a contemporary perspective — to sort of have this fostering relationship with the every actor and their story that they’re telling.
Q: You would possibly like some skills and strengths that turn into higher once you’re overseas that you could be not have thought would have turn into higher than they had been in the USA. Did you actually witness this occurring in any respect? If any of your skills all of a sudden proven whilst you had been overseas?
A: Particularly with my efficiency, at my college now we have a speech class, a motion class, and an appearing class. Speech and motion are taught by the identical professors for all 4 years whereas I’m right here, so their curriculum and also you sort of work with them all through 4 years, and that’s good. You get to construct that relationship with that professor and actually know what they’re searching for and be taught their type of performing in these elements. However working with completely different folks in those self same topics I discovered actually enlightening. Generally I don’t all the time see I eye-to-eye with my motion professor [here in the United States], however the motion Professor abroad offered the fabric in a a lot completely different method that I’d by no means actually thought of it. So I acquired a little bit bit extra out of my head and was capable of discover my physicality in a method that was much more relaxed and calm surroundings. It actually allowed me to discover and have enjoyable with it and I really feel some sort of freedom that I’ve by no means actually felt with physicality earlier than. In order that was very nice. I even have sort of struggled with performing Shakespeare as a result of it’s a troublesome expertise and I’ve labored on it right here at Hofstra many occasions— as a result of, like I stated, Hofstra is a giant Shakespeare college — however I by no means felt prefer it actually clicked. Being overseas — the best way the course was arrange is you’re employed with a ton of various folks at The Globe. Listening to all their views and sort of serving to you see plenty of alternative ways to take Shakespeare and carry out it and make it much more relatable and nearer to house for you, that every one actually clicked. By the ultimate efficiency that we did by way of the lessons, I actually felt like I understood easy methods to carry out Shakespeare. That was a extremely good expertise.
Q: London is such such a giant metropolis and there’s a lot historical past and tradition, and there’s plenty of completely different backgrounds within the metropolis, too. Was there a time the variations in backgrounds impacted your interactions with others?
A: I discovered lots of people in London to be extraordinarily welcoming and really excited to work together with People. I as soon as was getting lunch at a spot for fish and chips and proper off the bat they know you’re American since you’re talking in an American accent. So that they had been very excited and, as a result of it was a neighborhood place the place we had been saying in Tufnell Park, which was not like within the coronary heart of the town. So that they had been like, “Oh, the place are you from? Why are you right here?” — that sort of factor, and really excited.
Speaking about completely different backgrounds, too — one thing that I didn’t even take into consideration earlier than I went was being in program with different American college students however [from] completely different universities. I had by no means actually talked to anybody else from a unique theater program earlier than. I’ve pals that go to completely different universities however they’re finding out a bunch of various matters and there may be sort of a distinct segment with pursuing theater as your your school profession and following profession. So listening to that distinctive expertise at completely different universities and what these college students had been sort of going by way of, what sort of lessons they had been studying, and sort of how their coaching has been completely different from mine was actually enlightening and actually cool.
Q: Being overseas, out of the USA, was there any time the place you had been sort of being extra sustainable or being extra inexperienced in your life-style? Do you assume in the event you did, would you convey any of that again to the USA with you now?
A: I feel a part of this was additionally dwelling in a such public transit metropolis. It was really easy to get round. I used to be utilizing the Tube on a regular basis. I used to be strolling locations, utilizing the bus system. There was by no means even a thought in my thoughts that I might even want a automobile to get wherever. So simply the true ease of getting round from place to put was very nice, and that’s one thing that I sort of need to remember — dwelling nearer to public transit and with the ability to use these services as a lot as doable to restrict emissions from automobiles and whatnot. I feel that’s actually useful. I additionally actually cherished strolling to love farmer markets — there are lot of farmer markets in London. So it was very nice to go and get recent produce each single day. I usually acquired apples they’d very low cost apples, so I might get these for breakfast earlier than I’d go to class or whatnot. I acquired different vegetables and fruit as effectively. Some stuff I’d prepare dinner again at my place. So I feel actually using like the flexibility of consuming from the supply from a farmer market was very nice, as effectively.
Q: Is there any recommendation that you’d give people who find themselves planning to check overseas or serious about it?
A: I feel primarily it’s take that ultimate step. Don’t be afraid of the unknown and be extra enthusiastic about what you would possibly acquire from the expertise. It’s so arduous to place in perspective what you’ll be taught from a world transition like this, however you’ll have much more perspective irrespective of the place you go — on how folks act in numerous arenas and tradition; how folks stroll round day-to-day; what they assume is humorous versus what they assume is critical; when folks eat sure occasions of the day. All of that I feel is simply such an empowering expertise. You’ll be able to be taught loads from different cultures and convey that again house to enhance your self as an individual.
