YOU ME BUM BUM TRAIN is becoming a hugely popular recurring immersive theatre experience in London.  And I have had the privilege of performing in it.  Due to the surprise and secret nature of the show, I can't really divulge any details (I had to sign a confidentiality agreement).  It's kind of like Fight Club.  But believe me when I tell you it's amazing and I wish we were able to fund performances like this in the US!  The reviews are glowing: read what The Evening Standard had to say about it here.  And even more exciting, it's returning in the summer as part of the Barbican's season - you can read all about that here including other reviews of other iterations of the show.  Get pumped people, I'm coming back to the States with IDEAS ;).

Well, the semester (or term, as they say here) is over.  I am officially one third the way through my masters degree. Whew!  I'm tired!  The last couple of weeks involved one big paper, an even bigger portfolio project, and a performance.  I performed as the Duchess of Malfi in a devised piece titled IN SECRET about powerful women and their less-powerful lovers.  Tragedy usually ensues.  I'll be uploading video content from that performance soon.  My portfolio project involved paper Matryoshka dolls surrounding part of a play I wrote, and other musings on the semester.  My paper argued that theatre critics have become less critical with the advent of blog commentary.  Take from that what you will :).  I'm so excited to have a three week break, which I'll be spending with my mom and sister in London and Glasgow!  Bring on the Christmas markets!  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

This afternoon I saw Schaubuhne's HAMLET at the Barbican.  Let me preface this by saying I'm currently reading Helen Freshwater's Theatre & Audience which calls for audience participation (trendy since the '60's) to be more empowering.  I couldn't agree with her more.  As an audience member for HAMLET (I should have known better than to sit in the front row), I was in danger of being sprayed with water, juice, blood and mud, hit by Hamlet - who went through the audience at one point thrusting his muddy hands in people's faces - or finally, as about 3 people had to, hold him, when he accidentally smacked his head on the cement overhang and fell down clutching his bleeding face.  He did, however, fart audibly in my direction and then asked me if I could smell it.  Polonius also videotaped me watching the play within a play.  I wish I had sat in the dress circle.  Now, I am not averse to audience participation at all - except when I don't have a choice in the matter.  And in this two-and-a-half hour production with no intermission (!), I had no choice, and no idea what would fly through the air next.  

About two weeks ago I went to see The Tricycle Theatre's production of THE RIOTS, a documentary play taken from eyewitness accounts and interviews of the August riots in London.  The play was democratic - offering views from opposing sides without seeming to side with one or the other.  What was clear though, was that "people" (citizens and lawmakers alike) need to pay attention, because an event like this could happen again.  That particular weekend I saw the play, was the same weekend a police officer pepper sprayed a group of unarmed peaceful student protestors at UC Davis.  And soon after that, local governments began cracking down on the OCCUPY movements.  So the play resonates farther than the London riots.  
As I write this, I'm also writing a final paper for one of my classes on how theatre criticism can reveal broader social values (I think I actually just restated the assignment!).  I've been researching reviews of Edward Bond's SAVED (see one of my earlier posts) and many of them comment on how SAVED is a play that is brought out in "emergency situations."  I think THE RIOTS has a similar purpose.  This is an emergency situation, and we need to pay attention.