HWS News
3 August 2022 • Arts • Faculty “All the World’s a Stage:” HWS Theatre Abroad By Kylie Rowland
Three students studied abroad through the “Advanced Studies in England” Theatre Summer School in Bath, England, where they created an original theatre production.
This summer, Lucas Amaral ’23, Hannah Angelico ’25 and A King ’25 participated in the “Advanced Studies in England” Theatre Summer School in Bath, England. The program was led by Associate Professor of Theatre Chris Woodworth. An immersive theatre experience, students not only took “Acting: British Style” and “Not Just Shakespeare: British Theatre History,” but also performed in two short plays, then wrote and performed in their own production.
"I rarely have a chance to teach physical theatre devising at HWS so it was a unique experience for the students and for me to immerse ourselves in these techniques for five weeks. By the end it was clear that they are all beautiful movers with their own distinct styles," says Woodworth.
HWS Theatre Abroad
Amaral says he enjoyed the process of developing a piece of theatrical work. “We devised a piece based on Alice in Wonderland by taking some quotes from the first chapter along with our own poetry and movements,” says Amaral. “It ended up representing the story in a different way. It was very personal and very beautiful,” Amaral says.
Angelico says she enjoyed working under the direction of Professor Woodworth. “As our director, she was very helpful in giving us freedom to create our own work, while helping us put it all together cohesively,” says Angelico.
Through program excursions into London, and to Oxford and Stratford upon-Avon, the group toured the great monoliths of English theatre history, including The Globe Theatre. In just five weeks, they also saw seven plays. In the hometown of William Shakespeare, Stratford upon-Avon, they saw one of his most famous history plays, Richard III.
“My favorite academic experience was being able to see all the plays and particularly writing a theatre review for King Richard III. It was a fun assignment and I just enjoy writing,” says Angelico.
Amaral agrees, “The amount of theatre we saw in England was more than I’d ever seen in my life up to that point.”
The students concur that the program excursions were an inseparable part of their classroom and stage experiences. “The excursions really complemented the experience because we could see what techniques the actors used, and that would help shape our own performances. Plus, we were able to see the way theatre has evolved over time, just like we talked about in the theatre history class,” Angelico says.
Amaral says the program was the perfect opportunity to grow his craft as an actor. “There’s just something different about studying and performing abroad,” he says. “I really grew as an actor.”
