July 9, 2010

Theatre students take in the sights in the Bard’s backyard

Trisha Schleich, Jessica Phillips and Ben Floyd pose for a photo in London.

MITCHELL — Theatre students from Dakota Wesleyan recently returned from a trip across the pond, where they studied and experienced all that London has to offer – theatrically speaking, of course.

The trip is a requirement for those pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre – a degree that DWU theatre director Dan Miller spearheaded and developed only this last year. Ben Floyd and Trisha Schleich were the first to graduate with the degree in May, and along with Jessica Phillips and Miller, traveled to London May 23 through June 1 to complete the requirements.

“I want all my students to attend as much professional theatre as possible before they graduate, and this trip gives them not only that opportunity, but also a chance to look at the rich cultural history of England, the West End and Shakespeare. After seeing a production, each student then has to write a four- to six-page review of the play looking at every angle from acting to writing, directing to design, technical aspects, and so on,” Miller said.

The troupe took in five productions, including “Macbeth” at the Globe Theatre; the musicals “Avenue Q,” “Wicked,” and “Billy Elliot,” and the comedy “Bedroom Farce.”

“We are all in agreement that of all the plays we saw, ‘Billy Elliot’ was the best and had the biggest impact on all of us,” Miller said. “It was a beautiful show with an amazing performance by the cast.”

Students attend the American College Theatre Festival each year and productions at the Sioux Falls Washington Pavilion, but this trip offers a more varied look at professional theatre.

“The West End in London is just as good as Broadway and since I have more professional connections in the UK and am a lot more familiar with England, I decided to take them there instead of New York,” Miller said. “Another great reason is cost; believe it or not, theatre tickets in London, even after converting them from pounds to dollars, are cheaper than tickets on Broadway.”

Miller’s affiliation with London came by way of his graduate work at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, known as a wonderful theatre-in-the-round venue. It was also the home to artistic director and world renowned playwright, Sir Alan Ayckbourn, who wrote the comedy they saw.

Miller incorporated the style of theatre-in-the-round into DWU productions last year with “Agnes of God” as the first play performed with audiences surrounding a center stage. He plans to replicate the experience this fall with a different production.

Another reason Miller chose England is that two of the students are looking to attend graduate school at the University of Derby in Derby, England. Floyd has applied to the “drama therapy” graduate program and Schleich applied to the “theatre design and art” program. Miller said that the group went to Derby so the students could check out the university, community and even look into the housing situation.

“I had never been there before but I can tell you that we all absolutely fell in love with this community,” Miller said.

Oftentimes trips and tours get their hiccups or detours, situations unforeseen that were never apart of the syllabus. In their case, a special occasion arose while the group was taking in the sights.

“We were all on the London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel that takes a half hour to make a full rotation,” Miller said. “When the carriage we were in with about 12 other people reached the top, giving us a great view of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben and the London skyline, Ben Floyd got down on one knee, pulled out a ring box and asked Trisha to marry him. She was shocked, she cried and she said ‘yes.’ It was a great moment and everyone applauded.”