The Globe and Me

Hello all!
I can't really begin to explain how life changing the last two weeks have been. As part of our Shakespeare module, we got to take class at the GLOBE and then do an excerpt of Antony and Cleopatra on the stage for an invited audience. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, The Globe was Shakespeare's theater during his career. Twelve years ago, after two decades of work, a recreation was built close to where the original sat on the banks of the Thames River. It was constructed with all the same material and in the same fashion as the original. Each year, they do a few of Shakespeare's shows exactly, to the best of anyone's knowledge, as they would have been done 400 years ago. The place is breathtaking and it was a honor and privilege to be able to stand on that stage, let alone perform. I got to play Cleopatra for part of the show, another thrill and a role that I probably will never get a chance to play. Unless someone decides to make me the Queen of Egypt in an Irish peasant adaptation of the play, of course. Hey, who knows!

I have included some pictures (although I didn't take too many). The interior shots are of the green room and our dressing room. The sword fighting is from our stage combat class which we had in front of all the tour groups coming in....they thought we were professional fighters, well except until they actually started watching us. I still can't believe that we were there! It's the equivalent of a musician playing at Carnegie Hall, if you are still not impressed!

We are back to our normally scheduled programming this week and the semester is over at the end of next. I am thoroughly ready for a break.....

Oh, Mother!

Last weekend I went to go see Mother Courage and Her Children, starring Fiona Shaw. You will know her from the Harry Potter movies as Harry's bitchy aunt Petunia. It also starred the kid who play Harry's cousin, Dudley. His name in real life is strangely Harry and he is now probably 20 or 21 years old and 75 pounds lighter! It was just fantastic, a good reminder of why I am here in London and what kind of work I want to do with my life. It was also so nice to get back into the city.

Being in Loughton, it's a good 30 minutes outside of the city on the tube. With my class schedule, I don't leave my little village very often. Some days it feels like I could be in Iowa. Except of course everyone has a funny accent and the money is fake. Not complaining about that, don't get me wrong! I am really loving it here, it's just nice to be reminded where I am in the world once in awhile!

Speaking of going into the city, this week we start our 2 week module at The Globe!!! It culminates with an actual performance of scenes from Antony and Cleopatra, which I am absolutely thrilled about. It might be the only time in my life that I get to perform on that stage, which is truly a privilege and honor. I will be taking plenty of pictures, so look forward to seeing those in a few weeks!

Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from last weekend. My new best friend here, Alden from Chicago, came with me to the show and is the one "holding" Big Ben. She and I have both decided to start a new phrase that I think you will like Dad....Instead of saying "What Would Jesus Do" or WWJD, we have changed it to What Would Fiona Shaw Do or WWFSD. We're thinking some bumper stickers might be in order!

I've Got Georgia on My Mind.......

It's been almost a month since I posted and I don't even have any wonderful pictures this to make up for it! Let me explain....My trusty old computer wasn't working for about 2 weeks! Also, school is kicking my butt. I am in class from 9-6:30 Monday-Friday and then of course after wards rehearsing, planning, reading and writing. When I have time I do fun things such as eating, walking and occasionally sleeping. It's a great time! In all sincerity, I am really happy. The course is extremely challenging and humbling. I am learning more and more about myself everyday, which is all that I could have asked for.

The biggest event of the past week has been my name change.....for those of you who don't know, I am now Georgia Buchanan. Again, let me explain a bit. The industry here in England is different than in the US, so as a drama student in an accredited course you are allowed to join British Equity. The main purpose of that is so that we can start getting connected before our professional career starts and also protect our name. Sadly, there is already an "Erin Buchanan" in the Screen Actors Guild and Actor's Equity (the US actor's unions) so I always knew that I would have to go with a stage name at some point. It seems that time has come......It's gonna take some getting used to for myself included, but I hope that you like it! Of course I will always be Erin or any of the many nicknames that I've collected over the years.....now you can add Georgia or Georgie to the list!

Erin's English Escapades, Part 2

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks since I have come to London, yet it feels like it's been more like a month. I am settled in at home with the girls and have started all of my introductions at East 15. Lots of meeting faculty, registering, getting to know the buildings and whatnot. Nothing too exciting. I have been taking advantage of a slow start by using my free time to explore the city. I had a wonderful walk along the Thames last week. The clouds were so ominous which made for some fantastic pictures. Here are just a few for your viewing pleasure!

For The Full Effect

Here are some pictures I've taken so far. Sort of in no particular order, since uploading them is not one of my specialties. They are mainly of the house where I am living. Please note that everything you see in my bedroom I built myself, thank you very much. I've also found St. Nicholas' Church, the cutest church that I have ever seen, right down the road! The whole building couldn't have been bigger than a shed. Well, maybe a small barn. Da, you'll be happy to know that I am going to a service there over the weekend....I need to see what the inside of the place looks like!
And of course, for shits and giggles, one obnoxiously taken picture of the tube!
Off to a good start, I think.

Erin's English Escapades, Part 1

I have arrived safe and sound on the other side of the Atlantic! England will never be the same. Upon arriving at Heathrow Airport, one of the first signs that I saw as I was getting through customs was something to the effect of "If you break any laws while in the UK, you will be sent back to your home country." They don't pull an punches here, do they. Well, of course it was much more eloquent than that. I still can't get over how easy it was for me to get through. No security dogs, space-aged X-ray machines, or cops at all. And the Border Officer who questioned me just glanced at my visa! I could have typed it up myself and taped it in there....(ahhh, no I wouldn't do something like that).

Anyway, I've been here for 5 days now and have gotten a whole lot done. I've spent most of the last three days building IKEA furniture, which is so much fun. But, I do have to say that my bedroom looks amazing. For the first time in my life, it looks like an actual adult woman lives here!

Sarah and Amanda are the two sisters that I am living with and they have been absolutely lovely. (I'm sounding British already) They took me shopping, rented a van to go get a bed, and even introduced me to their friends! I think that I made a good impression....didn't tarnish their opinion of Americans at all, don't worry. Sarah finished a law exam today, so we are going to have a girl's dinner this evening in the village of Loughton. That's my favorite part of this so far. I live in a village! Technically, we are not in the actual city of London, but considered part of the Greater London area....sort of like living in Flatbush or Arlington.

I rode on the tube Saturday night for the first time. I have been bringing my camera with me everywhere, but trying not to take too many embarassing pictures.....don't want anyone thinking that I'm not from here. I'm limiting myself to 5 pictures of street signs and "cute" buildings a week. That's a word that I think Sarah and Amanda are hoping to never hear again. But everything is just so cute! I did feel like a moron trying to figure out how to buy an oyster card and gain admittance to the tube. I now feel bad for getting so mad a those "stupid tourists" trying to get on the metro or subway. It took me 10 minutes....a new record for stupidity, I think.

Well, that's about it for now! I promise from here on out my stories will grow in excitement and interest.....nothing to get me deported, don't worry Ma.

Cheers!

A Quick Note.......

Just a quick note for the one person besides myself who is actually reading this:

Ma, when we used to joke about how the FBI should hire you, we weren't kidding.
Thank you for being my first and only follower.

And it has begun.....

I'm not really sure how this happened. It seems that I am heading to graduate school in London in a little over a month.
Everything was going along just fine. I was living the romantic and exciting life of a struggling actress in New York City, something that I dreamed of since I was a little girl.

Oh, yeah. That's where it started. I remember now.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself to explain where we're going here. I grew up in a little hamlet of a place called Hamilton, right outside of Trenton, NJ. My mother used to always tell me to "say I was from Princeton", because it sounded better. Not that I ever cared about things like that, I just knew that I wasn't going to be living there forever. I was destined for the screen. I spent most of my free time filming scenes from Sophie's Choice or the end of West Side Story in my room, two roles that I will never play. I didn't quite understand that having red hair and freckles meant I would never be cast as a Holocaust victim or a Puerto Rican. I still think that with enough makeup I might be able to pull it off. Hell, Natalie Wood did. Never mind the fact that I can't sing.

Fast forward 15 years to me living in a 5th story walk-up on the Upper East Side of New York, working as a waitress, babysitter, retail saleswoman, and barista. What a life. Doing a few shows in what technically can be called theaters. There were seats and a stage area.....plus a couple of lights. God Bless my parents for coming to all of that crap.

So, I decided to chuck it all and head south to Washington,DC. I thought that I could make a name for myself in a smaller place. You know, be the big fish in the pond. After about a year and a half I was working for an association and enjoying the sweet life. Health insurance and a 401(k) plan. Life doesn't get any better than that.

But, I started getting the itch that something was wrong. I had never given up on my dream of being on Oprah with Meryl Streep or Al Pacino (clearly they would be my friends once I hit the big time) and I was about to turn 28. I was panicing. There were rumors floating all over the place that Oprah was going to stop doing the show soon! What! There's only a small window of opportunity left for me to make it now.

What's the fastest way of becoming a famous Hollywood actress? Going to graduate acting school in London! After all, the only way to get cast in an Oscar winning movie is to be British.
I coming in through the backdoor, Hollywood.......Hold on Oprah, just two more years and I'll be there.