Students Get Crash Course in British Theater During London Residency

On May 28, a group of 17 Holy Cross students left for a four-week immersive study program to explore English art and culture in the city of London as part of the College’s summer Study Abroad Program.

By the time they return on June 25, the students will have taken in 24 theater shows, visited 27 museums, and gone to two concerts. Theater professors Edward Isser, who also chairs the department, and Steve Vineberg are accompanying the students.

Here are five things you need to know about the British Theatre in Perspective program.

1. The four week program is one giant marathon. Yes, you read the above correctly: 24 shows, 27 museums, and two concerts in 28 days. “We’re talking 12 hour days that will include a theater criticism class, a field trip, and then a show. We’ll see who drops first, the students or the faculty,” jokes Isser. 2. A theater criticism course is being taught by Professor Vineberg, a working film and theater critic. Nearly every weekday morning, students are required to attend class sessions that will provide opportunities for contextualization and reflection. “What makes this program really special is that the theater criticism class will be taught by Steve Vineberg, one of the leading critics in the United States,” says Isser. “It’s a really extraordinary opportunity.”

3. The ultimate pedagogical goal of the program is discernment. Students will learn how to be critical viewers during the program. “Most people have a lot of trouble telling the difference between something that they find lively and engaging and something that’s merely entertaining,” says Vineberg. “We hope that when our students come out of this program — and this is true of all of our theater classes — that they are more discerning.”

4. London is one of the cultural centers of the world. Students will take in some of the finest theatrical productions in the world ranging from commercial offerings in the West End to radical experimentation on the Fringe. Isser says many cities such as Moscow and New York bill themselves as theater centers, but London is the theater capital of the world. “London has a different way of producing theater and a different way of experiencing theater,” he says. “And it offers students the benefit of all the other cultural elements that exist in the city.”

5. The program is one of the few of its kind in the country. Deliberately titled British Theater and Perspective, the program goes beyond theater viewing. “Part of the experiential learning component is to let students see the art, the architecture, and the culture that informed the production of the work,” says Isser. “It’s a full, double-barreled cultural experience.”

View the entire schedule [PDF].