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 4, part one, outdoor movies and bright yellow schoolbuses

The "Screen on the Green"

Earlier in the week me and two other interns went to the National Mall, in order to watch an outdoor screening of E.T. This was a completely new, yet great experience. There's just so much atmosphere with outdoor performances, you can hear people talking, sirens, and all of the usual activity of the Capitol. You can have the cinema-sized screen without the cramped seats. The right temperature, without the noise of air conditioning or heating. The best thing was that during particularly dramatic/happy/sad moments people would cheer and clap together. At one point, during the credits, people from the back began spontaneously dancing, and this spread in a Mexican-wave type movement until everyone was up & moving!

I finally got a picture of one! (Georgia!) This is the culmination of every American highschool film that I have ever seen. Even in the summer, most kids seem to attend some kind of summer school or camp, to either catch up or get ahead.

Today, there was a power cut at work, and we got to leave after lunch! I should add that I do actually really enjoy my work, at the moment I'm just doing the initial reading to create a homeschool curriculum based on the WW2 Homefront. However, having a power cut meant that we got to eat cake, make shadow puppets with our hands and torches, and then head to the pub (where I had a coke, on account of being 19...) to say goodbye to one of the interns who has been at the museum for months now. I think it's fair to say that we're all going to miss his renditions of Disney songs and epic movie conversations in the lunchroom!

We've been very spoilt at work recently, considering our supervisor brought in Dunkin' Donuts the day the Royal baby was born, and on thursday there was a 21st birthday in our department, so, courtesy of the girl's "mom", we had a "birthday buffet"! It's been a good week!