Submitted by Melody Taylor on the 2013 fall semester program in London, England…
Classes are amazing at CAPA. Since I am an English major and Theatre Studies minor, I am taking three English courses and one theatre class.
The building itself is centrally located on Cromwell Rd in Kensington, close to the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). From the outside, it looks like two town houses, but when you walk in you are greeted with a bright and friendly interior. Classes are average size, allowing discussion to be a main factor in classes.
The best part about classes is how dedicated they are in trying to get students away from Cromwell Rd and out into London to become more engaged with their surroundings. In all of my classes so far, we have gone on a class excursion to heighten the material learned in class.
My three favorite outside class activities (so far!) have been going to Highgate Cemetery, the Elizabeth I and Her People exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and to see the Scottsboro Boys.
Going to Highgate Cemetery was for my Post-War British Pop Culture class where we went to see the grave of Malcolm McLaren, an important figure most known for being the manager of the Sex Pistols. The cemetery showed a glimpse into the past and future with the traditional fading headstones and statues next to the unique headstones which require special permission from the cemetery.
Elizabeth I and Her People exhibit is a limited time exhibition displaying the portraits of the Queen to ordinary people, and the reasoning behind certain choices. I went for my Shakespeare class to learn more about Shakespeare’s time to have a new understanding of his writing. An interesting detail I noticed were how skulls were included in many portraits to acknowledge the passing of time and their inevitable death. While that seems like an odd custom, you realize how relevant it still is today in society, because of our love of wearing skulls on clothes and jewelry.
The Scottsboro Boys is a musical about nine black men from the 1930s in America who were put in prison for a crime they did not commit. We went to see the show for my Theatricality course.
Honestly, I probably would not have gone to any of these places/events, because I would not have known about them or couldn’t afford it. CAPA is amazing, because it tries to get you to experience the parts of London nobody thinks about when they think of London.