First day of classes

Today was my first day of classes - I started with British Media and Society. We talked a lot about the differences between media and culture, as well as how they influence each other. It was interesting to learn that the BBC is government funded - therefore, they rarely have any sort of advertising; this cuts back on commercials, so advertisers look for different ways to get their names out there. We also talked about the shift from scripted TV series to reality TV; scripted TV shows like Friends can make up to $1 million per episode, where as a show like Jersey Shore can make $10,000 per episode (and that's considered a lot to the cast). Reality TV is so much cheaper; you don't need to hire actors, writers, editors, makeup/costume artists, etc. The content is the same drama, same "make me famous" attitude, and for some reason, we as Americans (and Britains) are enthralled by this sort of entertainment. As for me? I'll stick to the Travel Channel. =)
My second class was British Theatre; we got our list of shows that we'll be seeing.
11 and 12 - Directed by Peter Brook (we'll have a lecture with him after the show)
Jerusalem - based on the works of William Blake
Cat on A Hot Tin Roof
The Misanthrope - starring KEIRA KNIGHTLEY!
Measure for Measure
Waiting For Godot - starring GANDOLF!
Macbeth
Magia De La Danza
London Assurance
Posh
Women Beware Women
We're seeing a play just about every week we're here. That's CRAZY amazing. =D I'm super excited.
Some other shows that are playing in the area that are worth checking out include:
War Horse (tons of amazing puppetry)
Blood Brothers (featuring one of the Spice Girls)
Enron
Le Mis
Oliver
Jersey Boys
Some shows the professor didn't recommend seeing; she said that a lot of them are more touristy, and they've been running for such a long time. When you've had almost 13 casts, the production often looses creative intimacy with the audience. The actors are often miked rather than allowing their voices to carry and are certainly not as talented as the original cast; it becomes stale and it's a mere novelty rather than an original, fresh, and exciting piece...even still, it would be great to see some of the classics because the technical side of the theatre is AMAZING - I saw Lion King on Broadway several years ago, and the set, puppetry, and masks blew my mind. Some of these technically interesting, acting-lacking productions include:
Lion King
Wicked
Beauty and the Beast
Phantom of the Opera
Grease
We'll see what happens; hopefully I'll get to see everything I want to - tickets can be pretty pricey, so I'm not sure how far down the list I'll get. You can get half-priced tickets in Leicester Square; I'll have to check that out. =)
We had some awesome lasagna for dinner, then my friend Madison and I went to one of Hillsong's Connect Groups down by Oxford Circus; it was a great experience to meet with a bunch of people from around the area. Most were international students - one was from Singapore, another from Korea, another from Australia. It was amazing just to talk and hang out; they held the group in the coolest Starbucks I had ever seen - it had an underground hangout spot, and it was super chill. It was a good time. =D
Tomorrow we have our first Brit Seminar, and we'll be visiting a museum (I can't remember which one..), but it'll be really fun.
Sorry, no photos today. I was stuck inside; not so tomorrow.