Written by Ethan McCoy
Trip details
This past June, I embarked on the London Theatre program with the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts. This month-long trip set out to expand our knowledge and appreciation for British theatre and its global impact on the world today. Our cohort was comprised of students from various backgrounds and majors with a shared passion for the performing arts. The trip took a flexible approach, including several group events as well as plenty of opportunities to explore the city independently. While in England, we watched shows nearly every day, ranging from grand West End productions to local pub theatre performances. Our cohort also attended workshops led by London theatre professionals and held in-class conversations to discuss the shows and places we had seen. Additionally, we traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon to explore Shakespeare’s birthplace and visit the Royal Shakespeare Company. The trip concluded with group excursions to major British landmarks before we departed back to the United States.
Transformations
One significant change I experienced during the trip came in the form of an increased understanding and appreciation for British culture and the London theatre scene. This trip allowed my cohort to examine the role of theatre arts in the greater British culture. As we explored the city together, we of explored themes of “Empire” and “Multi” and how they factored into London’s global impact. Our experience abroad also gave us a “behind the scenes” perspective into the British entertainment industry and how their theatre culture differs from the United States. Additionally, as we became more acquainted with London, we distinguished between cultural similarities and differences with the US and became aware of common misconceptions that had affected our prior opinions. I concluded that the overall British culture has a unique contrast from other global cultures while also feeling strangely familiar. This observation was supported by America’s British roots as well as the global effect of London’s city culture. This is especially true with our shared “melting pot” culture, specifically with their eclectic city cultures and emphasis on the creation of new cultural hybrids.
Aside from the immersion into a new culture, I also became more critical of the way mental health is portrayed in current creative mediums, specifically in theatre and film. Many of the shows delved into the ethical and moral considerations of mental health and the stigma surrounding it. Two of these shows, Some Demon and Next to Normal, put mental health at the forefront. Some Demon is a play that follows a group of patients and caregivers at an eating disorder unit, highlighting the struggles of patients with severe mental illness to “live” with their disease and reintegrate back into society. It also highlighted the patient-practitioner divide and made the audience question what getting “better” really looks like. Meanwhile, Next to Normal is a musical that follows a mother with bipolar disorder family as she struggles to live a “normal” life while simultaneously tearing her family further apart. It brought the ethical considerations regarding questionable psychiatric practices and patient care into the limelight and criticized the healthcare industry for its inability to care for those in need. Although both productions gave portrayals that were respectful and mostly accurate, they each had their own merits and areas for improvement. Both shows were deeply emotional and heartbreaking, which benefited their narratives, but had me question which elements were fact or fiction. The blurring of these concepts is a dangerous line to cross since these stories have the potential to affect the way that mental health is perceived and defined by audiences. Even if a production prides itself in a script that is “true” to reality, it is important to take the show’s entertainment value into account when examining its portrayals. Audiences must take the time to perform quality, independent research to get the best picture of what mental health struggles truly look like, as well as to avoid common stigmatic pitfalls.
Activities & relationships
One way that I familiarized myself with London was through our independent exploration of the city. We were given ample time to explore on our own and see everything the city had to offer. Together, we investigated various museums, attractions, landmarks, markets, parks, as well as residential districts, and other public amenities. We were given free rein to utilize all forms of public transportation in London, which aided in our quick understanding of how to navigate the city’s diverse layouts.
Another way that we acquainted ourselves with London’s culture was by attending a variety of professional theatre productions. Theatre was the driving force of this trip and therefore most of our group events involved attending live performances. We visited over 25 different venues, each housing shows ranging from big-budget West End productions to smaller, neighborhood shows. These performances encompassed a multitude of theater genres with a variety of themes and subject material. Before each performance, one of our cohort members would present about the show, detailing its creative upbringing, themes, and historical information about the venue. Consequently, we would also hold post-show discussions where we shared our opinions of each performance and highlighted specific techniques that amplified the experience. Additionally, we also attended various workshops led by guest artists working professionally in the theatre industry. During these workshops, we would experiment with lesser-known theatre techniques and hold Q&A sessions to answer the cohort’s questions about theatre in London.
To document how our time in London affected us individually, we kept travel journals documenting all our major events experienced on the trip. We would write separate entries for every show, workshop, and tourism experience. In these journals, we would reflect on how they affected us and how they contributed to the global impact of British theatre culture. These journals served as our trip’s “primary sources” and gave our audience the best look into our unique perspective.
Future implications
The London Theatre program reshaped the way I approach my creative process as an actor and how I collaborate with other artists. It was the perfect opportunity that expand my understanding of theatre arts and how it affects audiences on a personal and cultural level. It gave me an additional layer of purpose behind my passion for theatre and demonstrated how I can use my contributions to foster positive change in the industry and the greater community.
As an aspiring clinical psychologist, the London Theatre program also gave me insight into how depictions and portrayal of mental health in artistic mediums can affect our current world. Art, whether for better or for worse, has immense power in shaping the public perception of mental health struggles and their portrayals. While it can serve as a tool to advocate for positive change and reform, it also can promote harmful and inaccurate portrayals. There is a fine line that creatives must respect when trying to implement mental health into their narratives. To be respectful of the individuals currently struggling with mental health, the inclusion of such themes must be questioned to avoid negative stigma. For example, does the inclusion of mental health serve the narrative being told, or is it to simply add a “dramatic” effect? Additionally, are the portrayals accurate or do they reinforce negative stereotypes? Overall, popular media does not have a great track record of accurate portrayals of mental health, which is unfortunate considering their ability to easily reach wide swaths of people. With the increased emphasis on mental health awareness in recent years, it is now more important than ever to have accurate portrayals and messaging. Therefore, it requires that artists and audiences put these portrayals under scrutiny and have conversations about their real-world implications. Together, it is possible to advocate for better storytelling and strive for more inclusive representation.