Day Three: Putting it all together

The third, and final full day of our trip began with some free time to explore Stratford. Students got souvenirs, and even serenaded a group of Americans doing a scavenger hunt with an impromptu rendition of "Baby" by Stratford's own Justin Bieber. Take a look at the video below:

After lunch, we went to our final show of the weekend, Measure for Measure. It was the most intimate show we saw, and we enjoyed the humor as well as the poignancy of the play's message regarding the legitimacy of justice.

The gentlemen of Shakespeare Society

For dinner, we at at Felinni's, in their private Olive Room. The pictures below show our family style dining--perfect for synthesizing all three plays.

Twins

After the meal, we spent time toasting to people--either to the whole group or to certain individuals--who had made some sort of contribution to the trip. Students appreciated their ability to do something that very few students have the opportunity to do (i.e. visit another country), and especially to be able to do it with such a wonderful group of friends, that has grown closer and closer throughout the year. We could not be more proud at their ability to step outside of their comfort zones with a genuine sense of enjoyment.

Students prepare for the secret activity.

They demonstrated this in a surprise midnight hiking activity. After buying 10 flashlights and too many cans of OFF, we all went to a park trail up the road from the Shakespeare Inn that surrounds the Shakespeare Pond. The students were separated into five teams of four and sent to the trailhead to begin their very dark and slightly scary journey to the end of the loop. Mr. Schnall, posted at the halfway point, helped guide students to the end of the loop where Ms. Krieg was ready to receive the relieved Shakespeare Society members. During different points of the walk, there would be loud shrieks of fear and bursts of laughter.

When students returned, reactions were initially mixed -- students were upset that their shoes got dirty, or were scared of being in the pitch black wilderness -- but eventually, students began to grasp the purpose of the activity as a final major opportunity to step out of their comfort zones during the trip.

Day Two: Stratford and the Shakespeare Festival

The crew getting weird at our hotel.

Day two included two plays--the centerpiece of the festival, Romeo and Juliet, and the non-Shakespearean musical Fiddler on the Roof. The students loved the change of pace that the musical offered--the energy of the choreography and intensity of the music was a great beginning to our weekend showings. Ariel Harris shares her reflections from the musical and contrasts the Romeo and Juliet version we saw today with the one we saw on Navy Pier last March.

On the second day in Canada, we had the pleasure of going to the Festival Theater to watch two plays: "Fiddler On The Roof" and "Romeo and Juliet.

Elijah and Terrance posing with Bill Shakespeare (notice Nikole's excellent photobomb)

" I greatly enjoyed "Fiddler On The Roof" because it was similar to Shakespeare's plays. They shared themes such as challenging society's norms and how a community can shape a person's character. The play had various components to it: comedy, drama, and even music. 

It was definitely a wonderful learning experience because we got to see how different "Romeo and juliet" was at Navy Pier compared to the one in Stratford. This showed how there are many interpretations of the play, and how even the costumes and the ways the characters were portrayed wasn't the same. I personally preferred the one at Navy Pier because it was more intimate than the one at the Festival Theater. I feel that it was more organic. Although at some points the play in Stratford interacted with the audience, Navy Pier's had a session after the play to meet the actors which made you feel more connected to the entire experience. 

Following the plays, we took time to discuss some of the most salient themes that connected the various plays we are watching this weekend (as well as throughout the year). These include the influence of family and community traditions and values, and are particularly important to the students as they consider the choices they will make about college and their lives as young adults. Will they follow their own ambitions? How will they maintain connections to their families and friends, and what duty do they have to do so? All of these questions sparked personal discussions, which Francisco (not the one from yesterday) elaborates on below:

On our second day at the scenic town of Stratford, Ontario we went to see “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Romeo & Juliet.” The plays were stupendous!!! The actors were so outstanding that they literally made the audience want to get up and be apart of the production. By the end of production we found our selves singing to the catchy song sung throughout the play, “Tradition”. After the Fiddler on the Roof, we, the Shakespeare society, took a scenic rout to a gazebo where we discussed topics like our role in our community after we graduate from college and how we feel this trip will impact our lives. For example, some students felt that Chicago has not done much for them or influenced the people they are, therefore, they feel little responsibility to help the community when they graduate from their future alma maters. On the other hand, other students said that they do feel a responsibility to their communities to further develop the society that helped raise them.

Another full day (including some late night capture the flag and Catchphrase). Having seen two plays, we're looking forward to exploring the city of Stratford tomorrow and pulling the thematic threads we've already discussed through to our last play, Measure for Measure. Thanks to everyone who has kept up-to-date with our adventures. Here's to day three!

Annie and David

Day One: The University of Michigan and the drive

Scenes from Michigan

We are all safe and sound in Stratford, Ontario after a long but exhilarating first day of our trip. We enjoyed a beautiful visit at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor that started with lots to eat at the dining commons, and ended with reflections about what will make our students prepared for an elite school like Michigan, and ruminations on how we could see ourselves on this campus as college students in just over a year. One of our students, Shanique, expounds upon these ideas below:

The University of Michigan was a beautiful campus! I could really picture myself enrolled in that university.  It was open and it had a lot of resources available for their students. For example, they offer a taxi service to ensure your safe return to your dorm at late hours and they also have centers to help people adjust to the college life. One thing I learned was that the lectures the professors give are recorded, which gives the students extra help outside of the classroom setting. I also loved how there are several libraries available on campus. I learned that the University of Michigan has a lot of student run groups and organizations. There is even a group entirely dedicated to napping! What I loved most  about the campus was that it is HUGE. I picture myself next year in a large university and I can definitely picture myself at Michigan. Our tour guide Jon was open and honest with us about everything that his school offers, and the best piece of advice he gave us was to not get hung up on one part of the application because no one qualification guarantees your acceptance. --Shanique Fields

Shanique and the rest of the Shakespeare Society learns about the U of M's history from our tour guide.

Michigan's beautiful library

The following is a reflection from another Shakespeare Society member, Francisco:

So… where to begin? Well for starters, the original vehicles that we had reserved ahead of time were unavailable and we had to settle for 3 SUV’s J. The bright side was that we got $800 off our original price, the downside: we were CRAMPED. Even-though we were cramped we made the best of it. We all laughed, sang, and told ghost stories when the night fell. 

            The delicious buffet at the university made up for missing the info session due to a delay in our vehicle delivery. Also our tour guide, Jon, explained everything that was relevant to what we wanted to know, probably even better than the people in the information session. Besides the long walks in the blazing sun, the campus was breathtaking, and the libraries…there were so many libraries!

            Once we departed from the University of Michigan, three words can describe the rest of the drive: long, goofy, relieving. If all of the detours, delays, etc. hadn’t been enough, we were stopped at the Canadian border for having copies of our birth certificates instead of the originals, even though the Festival directions clearly said copies were acceptable (as Mr. Schnall continuously reminded us). I think Ms. Krieg and Mr. Schnall’s hearts actually stopped when the border police said, “You most likely will have to turn around.” But after our teachers talked to the immigration officers, we got everything taken care of and were back on our way.

            It’s after midnight and no one seems to be tired because everyone is so excited about what awaits us in Canada for the rest of the trip. So this wraps up today’s adventure, and we are anticipating the next adventure tomorrow.

We are exhausted from day one, but are so excited to see our students genuinely enjoying each other's company, as well as learning how to deal with challenges and travel hiccups in an authentic way (maybe a little too authentic). But we know they will be stronger for it, and we can't wait to update you tomorrow about day two.

Go Blue,

Annie and David