Through My Eyes, In My Words:

The London Theatre

Taught by Michael C. O'Neill, director of theater and lecturer in English, and William J. Carpenter, assistant professor of English

Toni Ahrens of Hamilton, N.Y., is double majoring in psychology and English with a theater concentration. She is vice president of the executive council of the Marquis Players Club, whose annual musical productions benefit local charities. She is assistant director and vocal director of this spring's staging of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She also played the female lead in Crazy for You and appeared in Sugar and appeared in College Theater's productions of Little Shop of Horrorsand The Club. In addition she is President of Lafayette's all-female a cappella group Cadence and a member of the Lafayette College Arts Society.

My experience on the London Theatre interim trip was priceless. Not only were my classmates and I able to see the sights of Stratford, London, and Dublin, we were given the opportunity to see 12 different productions throughout our trip and expand our knowledge about the theater. We saw a variety of productions from opera to Shakespeare to theater of the absurd by well-known playwrights, including Samuel Beckett, Eugene O'Neill, and Tom Stoppard. Under the expert guidance of Dr. Michael O'Neill and Prof. William Carpenter, all of the students, regardless of their experience with theater, learned to appreciate every aspect of theater productions and how to be an active audience member and critic.

This trip was the best experience of my life thus far. In three weeks I was able to see dozens of landmark sights that I have wanted to see for as long as I can remember. There are too many to simply list, but the highlights for me were the Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, a walking tour about Jack the Ripper, and St. Paul's Cathedral, and, in Paris, the Eiffel Tower and Musée du Louvre (some of us went there when we had a free weekend). In addition to seeing the many sights throughout several cities in Europe my classmates and I were able to see productions such as Mourning Becomes Electra, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Aristocrats, and Jumpers.

Being able to experience a different culture is an opportunity that everyone should take advantage of, and London was a wonderful place to start, because there was no language barrier. The people were very friendly and helpful when we needed directions or had questions, and there was rarely a dull moment in such a large city. Being able to study theater, a subject in which I am greatly interested, in Europe was an amazing opportunity and I would recommend it to anyone.