Week 6, part one, Shakespeare, cupcakes and Tootsie

Witches' cauldron scene from Macbeth

 It may seem strange that one of the largest collections of original Shakespearean material is found on a corner of Capitol Hill, but I encourage anyone who has not already visited the Shakespeare Folger Library to do so. It is a library, research and educational outreach centre which grew from the private collection of Henry and Emily Folger.

Like all smaller tourists attractions (although the library serves mainly as an academic research centre) the staff are well informed and extremely happy to receive visitors, whom they love showing around and talking to (especially genuinely interested university students) as opposed to some of the larger institutions in D.C, where I expect the staff are sick of the sight of people by the end of the working day. The staff were keen to show us everything and answer any questions we had, including a great question from my friend, who asked about the production of Othello in the U.S during the time of the Jim Crow laws.

As well as a performance area designed to look like an Elizabethan theatre, there is also a Great hall for exhibitions (currently under renovation) which houses exhibits, as well as the wooden "Founder's Room" and various pieces of art relating to Shakespeare's works. There was an original print showing the layout of the city of London from the river Thames during Shakespeare's time, which I'm sure I've seen re-printed in numerous places.

Interestingly, most of the people we saw visiting the place were also British. The building contains some great items, including an original handwritten letter from Elizabeth I to James VI (when he was still King of Scotland but not of England, in 1603 he ruled over both England and Scotland in a personal union, though each was still treated as a separate sovereign state). There is also a first folio of Shakespeare's plays which contains the list of players who were in his company. Having studied Shakespeare throughout school, and watching performances at the Globe (London) and Stratford-upon-Avon, seeing a list of a handful of individuals who first brought these plays (possibly the most famous in the world?) to life is just incredible.

The temporary exhibition was also very moving. It was a copy of the "Robben Island Shakespeare", a book snuck inside the notorious prison during the time of Nelson Mandela's incarceration. It was covered in Diwali cards and smuggled in by an inmate who pretended it was his "Bible". It was actually a copy of Shakespeare's plays, which was circulated amongst the prisoners, and in which they signed passages which they most identified with. Mandela chose this passage;

Caesar: Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.
- from Julius Caesar, Act II Scene II.

He signed his name by it on the 16th of December, 1977.

Exterior of the Shakespeare Folger Library

 The architecture of the building deserves a post of its own. The building at first resembles the white marble of the Supreme Court and the Capitol buildings, but on closer inspection the windows are distinctly art-deco, 1920s style. Here neo-classical and Greco Deco (bas-relief scenes from Shakespeare's plays, marble, engravings of pillars) meet streamline moderne. Currently, work is underway to restore some of the windows to align with the architect's original intentions. In my honest opinion, I am less convinced than most Americans that the building truly bears resemblance to Tudor style, but then again, I do spend a lot of time in Oxford, and come from England, so it's probably unfair to compare a 20th century imitation to the actual thing. Plus, I really liked the fact that (unlike in typical classical architectural design) the bas-reliefs were at the bottom of the facade rather than the top of building, so that they could be more easily seen by passing people and children.

In less intellectual news....I made cupcakes! I'm counting it as an experiment in culturally- relevant cooking...only American student accomodation would have a muffin-tray in the kitchen, but not a decent tin opener. America has its priorities.

 

Screen on the Green is another one of the best D.C traditions. We returned to watch Tootsie, which none of us had seen before, because we loved the atmosphere of the last film we saw on the Mall. Yes, it's crowded and you have to get there over an hour early to get a seat, but it's free, and even more engaging than a cinema experience (though the Rocky Horror Show we saw last week may be an exception to that) especially when everyone reacts to on-screen events. I'm going to miss the spontaneous dancing which occurs traditionally before the Looney Tunes cartoon which precedes each film...

Week 5, part four, "Home", Georgetown, and the Rocky Horror picture show

I took pride in cleaning te apartment and actually opening the blinds/ turning on some lamps as soon as my roomates moved out....I've even used the lamps as replacement roomates. They're quieter, brighter and actually provide light & warmth.

With all of my roomates stuff removed, I discovered something incredible. There is actually space to move in this apartment. (Plus...I found $5 in change!)

I returned to Eastern Market once again this weekend! What am I going to do without my fresh, local grapes and cherries, and more to the point - my Pennsylvania peaches? Fruit will never be the same again.

The Amish are really very good at farming. The food I get here is the same price as the supermarkets at home, but the taste is amazing, and has genuinely made me buy an excess of fruit...when I say an excess, I'm still talking around the 5-a-day level, but for me that's an achievement. I normally only manage 3 or 4.

Before I get too carried away with congratulating myself on my fruit and vegetable intake, I also have a confession. I think I am addicted to Fro-yo (frozen yoghurt, it's like soft ice cream). It comes in all flavours. It has so many toppings. Fruit, chocolate, cookie dough pieces, hot fudge sauce. You serve yourself as much as you want, then add stuff on top, and then pay by weight. I really hope this never catches on in England, or any attempt I make to live a healthly life could be endangered.

We also returned to Georgetown! Georgetown genuinely has the best cupcake shops in D.C (we're fast becoming experts on this...) especially "Baked & Wired".

Something weird happened in Georgetown (sounds like a film title...) first, I was in a bookshop with some friends when I picked up a travel guide for the British Isles (always fun) and was annoyed to find that the University of Cambridge was featured as a major attraction, for the age of the institution and the architecture of the city, but Oxford was not, only "Oxfordshire" was mentioned. When I decided to voice my opinion on the matter, loudly and sarcastically ("haha, it describes Cambridge as "the seat of academia" in Britain, I mean seriously...") to my friend who is also at Oxford, a guy our own age turned around from a nearby bookshelf.

My first thought was "oh, he might actually go to Cambridge. This is awkward." However to my amazement he said, "oh, do you go to Oxford then? I'm at Magdalen, where are you at?" I was so surprised that I didn't say anything for a moment, by which time one of my friends (who is at Magdalen and in his year) stands up and greets him. Turns out that they were old tutorial partners. Weird.

Anyway, we were now over this and headed to a cupcake shop, which was less crowded than "D.C cupcakes" (see previous Georgetown post) and finally sat down with our food. The wall had napkins on which people had drawn on, and written messages, and then pinned them up. We decided to write one saying "Oxford loves Baked & Wired!" and then draw our college crests on it. (People had put up places from across the world)

As we put our napkin on the wall, two girls who were sitting at a breakfast bar in front of us stopped their conversation and said, "wait, do you go to Oxford?" We then discover that one of the girls graduated this year, from my own college.

On the one hand the chances of 2 Oxford students meeting 2 other Oxford students in seperate places, in a corner of D.C seems strange. The more I think about it though, Georgetown kind of is the "Oxford of D.C", if you know what I mean. Georgetown is upmarket, academic, "historic", and full of bookshops. Perhaps it's not so much a coincidence that Oxford students in D.C tend to head to Georgetown (and to book/ cupcake shops), though it is insane that we happened to be in the same place at the same time as other Oxford students, twice in one afternoon.

No explanation needed.

 

I went to a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Show at the E-Street cinema in Downtown. I feel as though this event itself deserves some kind of landmark recognition, because let me tell you, it was like participating in a cult. There were props, there were actors running around during the film, there were "regulars" (who watched the same screenings at least once a month, and knew th dialogue, as well as the songs, off by heart). I love the way in which throwing giant playing cards, or making audience members participate in acting out the on-screen drama was not seen as particularly  extraordinary. Nor was encouraging people to dance in the aisles during the Timewarp routine. For someone who had never seen the film before, I feel as if I'll never be able to think of it again without the accompanying sarcastic commentary of the person sitting behind me. That being said, I wouldn't have had it any other way, it way another one of those "only in America" experiences. 

 

The place where Lincoln was shot!

Since the film began at midnight, by the time we left it was pretty late, which provided an excellent opportunity to photograph landmarks without other people getting in the way. Walking through Downtown D.C at 3am was eery,  but oddly rewarding at the same time, as if we had somehow earned the right to see what most people, even residents, usually miss.