Last night I was searching the internet and I came across an advertisement for free theatre. Me, being the theatre lover that I am decided right then and there that today I would go see it!

There were two plays that would be presented: Around the World in Eighty Days at 6pm and Bertolt Brecht's The Mother at 8pm.

The space it would be presented in is an open air amphitheatre called The Scoop at More London. I wasn't sure what that meant but I was excited anyways. I invited my friend Stephanie to come with me but for she was not able to join me. So at 3pm I left my dorm in search of (what I was hoping would be) great theatre. I looked at my maps and figured out the route. On my way to the tube stop I found a 10 pound note which of course put me in an even better mood!

The theatre is located in an area called More London. It is a series of very modern buildings (including one that Londoners call "the testicle"... see blog entry photo) located right next to the Thames River and overlooking the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. I found the queue and patiently waited until they opened the house and let us in.

The stage was oval with the majority of the seats on one side but with a few seats on the opposite long side. On either sides of the oval were these storage shed-type boxes which very obviously served as the wings. I spent the following 20 minutes observing and taking in as much as I could about this space.

The "stage" had luggage and a step ladder and cloud-shaped umbrellas. There were a total of 15 lighting instruments with gels that seemed to indicate something between light straw and b****** amber. I wasn't sure how the lighting was going to work (especially for the second piece) but I just kept taking it all in. At about 10 minutes to curtain, the actors started filing in. They all brought their various costume pieces and hats and placed them in their corresponding "wing" then they walked about the audience interacting with the young children and having a grand old time

Finally 6pm came around and the show started. I was not expecting either show to be a musical but yet they both turned out to have original songs composed specifically for them. After the opening song of Eighty Days I could not help but tear up. I couldn't believe that I was seeing AMAZING theatre in such a great space in London next to the freaking Tower of London!!!

Seeing these shows tonight helped re-assure me that theatre is indeed what I want to do and that there is way more to it than Broadway-sized mega-musicals. After the first show, I went to talk to one of the actors who told me that they are always looking for stage management interns so if I was going to be in London next summer that I should keep my eyes open for postings and maybe we could work together!

I am still in awe of what I experienced tonight and I am so thrilled to think that I still have at least 11 more months of this!