Study Abroad Information

Theatre in London England (UK)

INFORMATION BASED ON... June 30 – August 2, 2008

Sponsored by the Department of Theatre in the College of Arts & Letters and arranged through the Office of Study Abroad (OSA)

What's this program about?

Students will spend five weeks in London intensively studying British theatre through attending:

  • performances
  • workshops
  • lectures by British professionals
  • backstage tours
  • performance training
  • various field trips

The program includes attendance at a minimum of 15 productions at the New Globe Theatre, the Royal National Theatre, and West End and Fringe Theatres. Field trips to Bath and Stratford-on-Avon to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform are included.
Students will explore theatre history, actor training, and/or design with British specialists and workshops at the New Globe, the Theatre Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Royal National Theatre.

What can I study?

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of six (6) credits from the following course offerings:

  • THR 490 - Theatre in London - 1 cr. (All students must enroll in this course.)
  • THR 390 - Special Topics: Acting and Voice - 2 cr.
  • THR 432 - History of Theatre since 1850 - 3 cr.
  • THR 313 - Period Research and Resources - 3 cr.
  • THR 813 - Period Resources for Directors and Designers - 3 cr.
  • THR 832 - Studies in Comparative Theatre and Drama - 3 cr.
  • *THR 490 - Independent Study - 1-4 cr.
  • *THR 890 - Independent Study - 1-4 cr.

*With the approval of the Department of Theatre and Karen Kangas-Preston, students with special requirements can enroll in the appropriate independent study course. Please contact Karen prior to enrolling for any independent study.

What are the requirements?

Students must be in good academic standing, with a grade point average of at least 2.5 at the time of application. Meeting this minimum grade point average does not, however, guarantee admission. A selection interview with Karen may be required.
Applicants' participation may be denied or their participation approval may be revoked if their conduct before departure raises doubts as to their suitability for program participation.

Where will I live?

Students will be housed in a four-story early 19 th Century townhouse centrally located in London. The townhome has been converted to include cooking facilities in each student room and bathrooms on each level. A common room with satellite TV, computer stations, and WiFi is available for student use.

Who can tell me more about this program?

Karen Kangas-Preston
Department of Theatre
46 Auditorium
Phone: (517) 353-9219
E-mail: kangaspr@msu.edu

The program fee in 2006 was $3,997 (cost will increase for 2008) and included the following:

  • application fee ($100)
  • deposit ($200)
  • pre-departure orientation
  • accommodations
  • admission to all productions, tours and workshops
  • accident and sickness insurance
  • field trips

Amounts not included in the program fee for which participants will need to budget include:

  • MSU tuition and fees
  • airfare
  • meals
  • books and supplies
  • passport application fee ($97)
  • visa application fees (if applicable)
  • pre-departure doctor visits
  • pre-departure immunizations (if applicable)
  • personal spending money

Study Abroad Photos 2008

Trafalgar Square on 12 July Trafalgar Square on 12 July Trafalgar Square on 12 July

The world record for most people dancing a choreographed piece at once has been broken and eight MSU Theatre in London students took part (Sebastian Gerstner, Lori Sands, Marie Louis, Alara Cerikci, Julianne Valentine, Laura Aughton and Ally Wyzgoski). There was a total of 2449 people in Trafalgar Square on 12 July dancing a piece choreographed by Aletta Collins.

The Globe Theatre Tour

The Globe Theatre with a tour of the space and then a workshop based on King Lear with one of the actors. We ended the morning with a tour of the exhibition at the Globe with a bonus session by the man who makes the swords used on stage. That afternoon the theatre history class returned to the National Portrait Gallery to share what they had learned about their assigned theatre personalities from the "scavenger hunt" in week one.

National Theatre Costume Hire and Storage

Tuesday morning's class was greatly overshadowed by our afternoon trip to the National Theatre Costume Hire and Storage that afternoon. What began as a simple tour ended with an almost two hour long session of dress up. We were allowed free reign in their storage as long as everything got hung back up in the correct spot.