All London’s a stage

Here’s a whistle-stop tour of some of the theatres and plays that we are excited for in London:

The Globe

The home of Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre captures all the magic of the Renaissance and all the exuberance of modern London as a metropolitan city. A home for both modernity and tradition, the Globe launches fresh, challenging and thought provoking productions at its audiences. CIEE encourages all students to visit the Globe, particularly as standing tickets for performances cost just £5. We are looking forward to taking students to watch Ellen McDougall’s production of ‘As You Like It’ on Wednesday 27 September and encourage you to see as many plays at the Globe as you can while you are here.

You can book tickets using the following link or you can get some last minutes tickets for the following week at the Globe's 'Friday £5 rush'.

National Theatre and ‘The Father and the Assassin’

A short walk further up the Thames and you arrive at the next must-see: the National Theatre. Literally the ‘Nation’s’ theatre and just as vibrant, the National Theatre stages a huge repertory of work and prides itself on being the face of up-and-coming drama (with some famous faces to boot). It is at the forefront of diversity, sustainability and gives voices to a chorus of different stories. Students at CIEE have recently seen Lucy Prebble’s ‘The Effect’ and James Graham’s ‘Dear England’ and we are excited about Anupama Chandrasekhar’s ‘The Father and the Assassin’ (on until 14 October). This play looks at issues of radicalisation, nationalism, gender and colonialism through the story Mahatma Ghandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse. 

Every Friday at 1pm, the National Theatre release ‘£10 Friday Rush tickets’ for the following week’s performances, or you can 'unlock' cheaper tickets if you are 16-25 by following this link.

West End: ‘Rebecca’ and ‘Harry Potter’

The West End is the UK’s theatreland. It’s closest US equivalent is Broadway and it always stages musicals, plays and an array of other entertainments. 

CIEE recommends the debut of the musical version of Daphne Du Maurier’s 1938 novel ‘Rebecca’, the English language premiere of the work of Oscar and Tony Award winning Christopher Hampton and Michael Kunze. A play with 22 original songs about the story of Maxim De Winter’s marriage to his second wife and the shadow that his previous wife, Rebecca, casts over their life together.

Also at the West End is ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ which provides a familiar world with new adventures. This is an expensive treat, with tickets at around £30 and the play is performed in two sections – an afternoon performance and another in the evening. Nevertheless, our students have loved it and we are sure you would too. With no plans to turn it into a film (yet), see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London, the city where it was first performed.

Places such as LOVEtheatre and Official London Theatre are great websites for finding the best deals.