Unfortunate Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I was disappointed by the London Theatre Program. There were only a few classes that I felt benefited me as a student and a performer; these classes were Shakespeare, Stage Combat, and tutorials. Some of the faculty members should not be teaching or serving as mentors to young minds.

On-site administration of your program

A few members of the faculty were excellent, such as Shelia Allen, Eunice Roberts, Jackie Snow, Christopher Cook, and the Stage Combat instructor. The entire administration were wonderful. Ian and Caroline particularly were comforting and a real joy to be with. Other faculty members were not pleasant, such as Adrienne Thomas, Mick Barnfather, and Kelly Hunter. Although they had great moments, I felt that on a whole they did not provide a supportive atmosphere or benefit me as performer. Their instruction was lacking and the energy they provided was not beneficial to the classroom.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The apartments, The Landward on Edgware Road, were fine. They had lots of room and were kept clean. The location was awful. I, as well as the other girls, were verbally harassed constantly by the residents in that neighborhood. I did not feel safe. It was also almost a 2 mile walk to the academy. I was told that the apartments would only be a walk through the park from the academy. I would not have chosen this program if I had known that I would have had to walk about 4 miles every day.

The academy does not provide food. Students have to buy food from the school, which is cheap compared to other spots in the area. Food is expensive in London. This should be considered by interested students.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There was not a lot of time to explore or become integrated into the local culture because of the time spent in the academy. There were oppertunites to become immersed in the theatre world, but it was exhausting trying to explore the local culture because of time limitations placed on us by the program. If students are intersted in becoming integrated into the local culture they should attend a program that does not have class from 9am to 6pm five days a week and most certainly not with all American students.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The school was great about taking me to see a private pratice doctor when the walk-in clinic proved not to be helpful. My insurance covered the cost. Unfortunately, the doctors in the UK are not great and the one I saw neglected to give me all the medication that was necessary for my recovery.

London is not my favorite city. I had a few situations during my semester there that impacted my experience. No school can protect students in a city once they leave the institution.The school handled the situation as well as possible and the administrators who knew were very supportive.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Tutorials
• Members of the administration
• Master classes

• Structure
• Housing
• Quality of instructors