Ah, yes, what would London be without West End theatre-the British equivalent of Broadway. 
For me, it was quite nice to be a part of a thriving theater community both through work as an intern in International Theatre and Music, Ltd (IT&M), an agency representing West End artistes, and outside of work such as attending a free West End concert taking place at Leceister Square one Sunday afternoon or watching a show (which I'll describe in detail later on). Now, one could argue that Broadway has a similar feel, but I do believe an outing to the theatre was more delighted upon by a Brit than by an average American. The strongest evidence being the fact that "Any Dream Will Do," a show similar to American Idol where the top contestent wins the role of Joseph in the show "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on West End, was a major hit and that Lee Mead, the winner, was an overnight sensation in England (side note: this bloke was IT&M's client--so I heard plenty about him during my seven weeks and moreover, even spoke to him on the phone once--nice chap).
Anyway, whilst in London, there were several shows to see from Lord of the Rings (which had just opened in the summer) to Mary Poppins
(a role that was, according to my officemates, begrudingly given to an American). Though I would have loved to see all of them my pocket book was decreasing in size by the minute so I only went to one called "Wicked" which, to my knowledge, was a show that first hit Broadway and made its way over to the West End. Lucky for us, Johanna and I found reasonably priced seats and quickly took the opportunity to go see the show on a Thursday night. We arrived at Apollo Victoria just minutes before the doors were closing, however, and leapt to our seats. I was quite suprised to see that the house was packed even though the show had been running on West End for awhile. Moreover, though we were far up and could barely see the performers on stage and despite the fact that the lead male role was played by an average understudy, Johanna and I had a fabulous time.
Better yet, what was the most interesting West End experience for me, was the chance of learning about a community theatre called "Unicorn Theatre" after speaking to my officemate Lina about my love for arts education.
Set in the always lovely London Bridge area of Central London along the Thames River, the Unicorn Theatre holds shows for the entire family, but with the priority being the youth. So, I was quite thrilled when Lina invited me to attend a feedback session with the Art Director of the theatre and I was given complimentary tickets (thanks to Lina again) to see a show there. The truth is, I was so in love with this theatre that I tried to find a job there as an intern or a volunteer, but unlucky for me, there weren't any vacancies. Though there were some job openings, I realized that I would have better chances working first in a theater in the U.S. and then perhaps making my way over to Unicorn.
Word of the day: wicked-an adjective-meaning cool or interesting
For me, it was quite nice to be a part of a thriving theater community both through work as an intern in International Theatre and Music, Ltd (IT&M), an agency representing West End artistes, and outside of work such as attending a free West End concert taking place at Leceister Square one Sunday afternoon or watching a show (which I'll describe in detail later on). Now, one could argue that Broadway has a similar feel, but I do believe an outing to the theatre was more delighted upon by a Brit than by an average American. The strongest evidence being the fact that "Any Dream Will Do," a show similar to American Idol where the top contestent wins the role of Joseph in the show "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on West End, was a major hit and that Lee Mead, the winner, was an overnight sensation in England (side note: this bloke was IT&M's client--so I heard plenty about him during my seven weeks and moreover, even spoke to him on the phone once--nice chap). Anyway, whilst in London, there were several shows to see from Lord of the Rings (which had just opened in the summer) to Mary Poppins
(a role that was, according to my officemates, begrudingly given to an American). Though I would have loved to see all of them my pocket book was decreasing in size by the minute so I only went to one called "Wicked" which, to my knowledge, was a show that first hit Broadway and made its way over to the West End. Lucky for us, Johanna and I found reasonably priced seats and quickly took the opportunity to go see the show on a Thursday night. We arrived at Apollo Victoria just minutes before the doors were closing, however, and leapt to our seats. I was quite suprised to see that the house was packed even though the show had been running on West End for awhile. Moreover, though we were far up and could barely see the performers on stage and despite the fact that the lead male role was played by an average understudy, Johanna and I had a fabulous time. Better yet, what was the most interesting West End experience for me, was the chance of learning about a community theatre called "Unicorn Theatre" after speaking to my officemate Lina about my love for arts education.
Set in the always lovely London Bridge area of Central London along the Thames River, the Unicorn Theatre holds shows for the entire family, but with the priority being the youth. So, I was quite thrilled when Lina invited me to attend a feedback session with the Art Director of the theatre and I was given complimentary tickets (thanks to Lina again) to see a show there. The truth is, I was so in love with this theatre that I tried to find a job there as an intern or a volunteer, but unlucky for me, there weren't any vacancies. Though there were some job openings, I realized that I would have better chances working first in a theater in the U.S. and then perhaps making my way over to Unicorn.Word of the day: wicked-an adjective-meaning cool or interesting
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