TRIP ESTIMATED COST 2019: $4000
TUITION and DEPOSITS
The university schedules the class (EN384 01) in the Summer Session and includes summer tuition in the trip cost; that is, that portion of the course fee which supports the academic part of the trip is now called tuition at no additional cost to the students. Study Abroad will ask for a deposit ($500) in December and continuing monthly payments are nor a bad idea. The university likes the trip to be paid for by the time we leave. Pay through Study Abroad.
NON-BUTLER STUDENTS
Butler’s Registrar has a new easy guest registration form– Summer Guest Student Registration Form
PASSPORT
You should apply for your passport as early as possible. There is plenty of time, but this is a crucial step. See the website at http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/forms_847.html/ Also, take a student ID with you because there are lots of student discounts (“concessions”) on admissions, etc. Butler’s ID is fine, but the Study Abroad Office offers (for a small fee) an international student ID that includes insurance coverage. Apply directly to Judy Malarney (jmalarne@butler.edu).
THE COURSE
This year I will use Moodle for background information about Shakespeare’s life and theater, summaries of the plays where I can find them, my lecture notes about comedy and tragedy and on those plays scheduled that I have personal notes for, as well as sample reviews from previous years (now on this site). The Moodle site will supply info, but will also have a forum where we will discuss experience with the play both before and after a performance. I will do everything I can to prepare you for the course and to support your reviews as we travel. I recommend that you read at least half of the plays before we leave.
Students have always gotten a lot from the course, and no one has yet failed to get a good grade. The group are mainly undergraduates, some in English and some not. I have different expectations for students depending on their background, and I will work with you to meet those expectations. I want to see full drafts of the first two reviews while we are in England to make sure you are getting the idea. After that you may keep notes and finish the work at home (though the students recommend taking an hour to do a draft, over breakfast perhaps). You will do five reviews altogether. The course also includes seeing the major Shakespeare sites in Stratford.
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has three theatres in Stratford–the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Courtyard and the Swan; the first two have a thrust stage with spectators on three sides–very intimate. I schedule plays as I get the various performance schedules from the Globe, the RSC and Regents Park. Generally I update the itinerary page as I schedule performances.
ITINERARY
Much too early to have performance schedules–I will post them as they appear. When finished, print the one on this site. The flights, plays, and hotels will all be indicated as I make the arrangements in the spring. Sometime in April I ask you to meet to talk about trip preparation. Meanwhile, I give an overview of the typical trip.
We meet at the airport two hours before flight time in the departure gate lounge since now everything is an e-ticket and people check in as they arrive. I always bring food and water in my carry-on. There is lots of free time in London and you would do well to get a London travel guide and begin to decide what you want to do. My wife and I plan a number of outings and you are welcome to go, but the touring is not part of the course and not required (and not paid for). I give everyone an ‘ideal’ itinerary, and I tell everyone our daily plans, but I encourage you to see the things you want to see.
We are going to the United Kingdom (they call themselves the UK– Great Britain is the United Kingdom of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). We hire a coach to take us to the hotel in Stratford (sometimes the trip starts in London, depending on performance schedules). We often arrive before the hotel rooms are ready, so we may have to drop off our luggage and get ourselves ready to do the town. I want to discourage napping (okay, a couple of hours) because if you can make it till evening and sleep through, you will be on British (don’t say English) time. Our first item of business is cash at an ATM/bank/bureau de change. In London our first venture is to get a week’s travel pass (about $40) for the tube (=subway; also good on buses–see the link on this site).
It is important not to lose this first day. Look around Stratford (London), shop, eat, get the feel of the place. On our Sunday in Stratford you may take a bus to Warwick Castle, a wonderful medieval castle ten miles away. In due course we leave for Oxford–for fun, not Shakespeare. Hard to see on your own–lots of walking tours available. After two nights we leave early on a bus for London (Stratford). After getting the tube pass, I recommend riding the tube to Piccadilly Circus (just a traffic circle, but surrounded by Tower Records, theaters, etc.–the entertainment district), then walking the few blocks south to Trafalgar Square (fountains, pigeons, tourists), one side of which is the National Gallery, one of the world’s great art museums. There is always a good deal of free time for shopping, soaking up British culture, etc.
PLAYS
In London we will see plays in the newly rebuilt Globe, a replica of Shakespeare’s original theater. Some of these tickets are ‘groundlings’ (standing in the yard), but that is such an intense part of the experience that each of us will get a shot at it. The Regents Park theater is open air, ideal for romantic comedy. The plays in Stratford are in the newly refurbished Royal Shakespeare Theatre, sometimes the Courtyard or Swan. These are performed by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and will be first rate.
TOURING INFORMATION
The packet will also include some general information about Stratford and London, including a map of Stratford. I will include on the itinerary the phone numbers of the hotels. The internet will allow you to access a London theater guide and to book tickets, in case you want to see other shows in London, which does have arguably the best theater in the world. On the other hand, same day tickets in London are pretty reasonable and you can nearly always get what you want. Let us share touring ideas and information at the meeting. I have taken to requiring students to see at least one church, one castle, and one art gallery in each city.
Shakespeare Sites Passes: not provided, see http://shakespeare.org.uk
Westminster Abbey and other churches charge their own admission. St Paul’s Cathedral is another major place to see. You must book ahead for tours of the Houses of Parliament (see www.parliament.uk/visiting/
THE HOTELS
These are four star hotels. The rooms have a bath, television, coffee facilities, and a hair dryer. Britain has all 220 volt electric service, so if you bring any appliances, you will have to buy a converter kit (or borrow one). Irons are available at the hotels. No heat-producing appliances!
TELEPHONING
Your cell phone company will have an international phone you rent for the two weeks; typically calls from the phone are expensive, but calls to the phone are often free. Never, let me repeat, NEVER use the hotel phones or you may have to sell a small relative.
PACKING
Please travel light. I get away with one bag and try to pack another soft bag to bring home “stuff.” If you overflow one bag, try to share a bag with another of us. I pack for about eight or nine days and then use a drop off laundry (very reasonable) to get fresh. I wear jeans/dockers and knit shirts most days for touring, and dockers and dress shirt (sometimes a jacket) for the plays. People come to the plays in every kind of attire, but I go middle of the road. You must have a good pair of walking shoes and they must be broken in. I have had some footsore people in the past. The weather has been unpredictable in the past. I always take a nylon rain jacket with a hood, and my wife brings an umbrella. Rain has not really been a problem. England is often cool, so you should bring a sweater. We sometimes have hot days, which are a problem. Fortunately one of the hotels is air conditioned, but overall few places in England are.
MONEY
I will ask for a $500 deposit in December. As I said, I ask you to continue to pay me in installments so that we will be paid for by the time the university bills you. Because I am booking plays and so on as early as possible, the deposit is non-refundable. If these dates are a problem for you, please talk to me directly.
I try to bring some English pounds (some banks can get these for you in a week or so), but there is a good exchange place in the London airport. I get cash advances on a debit (or credit) card for daily money. Travelers’ checks cost a fee to exchange, even if they are in pounds; the same is true for actual cash. I charge most purchases on a credit card. Charge cards give the actual exchange rate for purchases and that is the best you can do. Most cards are now beginning to charge a 3% fee for exchanging pounds, so check with your card company. At this moment, Capital One is the best card deal–no fees. A good money exchange vehicle is the debit card though now they are charging an exchange fee plus a small transaction fee ($2.50?). The exchange rate at the moment is about $1.32 per pound ( not bad!). Pounds spend like dollars in the UK so be a little careful about prices.
MORE TRAVEL
I outline here two trips other students have taken within our trip. One pair went to Dublin for the day. This is not easy, but it is not expensive. A European cut-rate airline (Ryan Air– see their website) has very reasonable prices for flying between cities like London, Dublin, Edinburgh, etc. If you buy a month beforehand, these tickets are as low as $25 one-way. In London they use a remote-ish airport, but it can be reached by an airport bus. The idea is to go early in the morning, sightsee, and return late to our hotel.
The same routine applies to Paris. Students take the Chunnel train from St Pancras and two hours later are in Paris (gar du nor). Do the city, return on the last train. The Chunnel train is more expensive–cheapest seats I have seen for weekend same day return (roundtrip) is about $100. They also have a website (www.eurostar.com). Sometimes tickets are cheaper at the station itself; very hard to figure the cheapest way.
IN GENERAL: Remember that you will be in a foreign country–a long way from home. I ask students to use a buddy-system when you are away from the group. Someone (preferably me) should always know where you are. Always know the name of the hotel you are staying in (pick up a matchbook). You must act responsibly to get the most out of the trip.
THE GATHERING
As I say, sometime in April we gather at Butler, for questions and preparation and to get acquainted.
I know that I raise more questions than I have answered. Please call me with any questions: W–940-9545; H–257-7003. Email: wwalsh@butler.edu
Bill Walsh
