Our last full day started with a stage combat class. This was the best one. Our instructor was actually from Texas; he came over for acting school. He really liked stage combat, and it sort of became what he was known for. Now he is employed most of the time teaching stage combat. He was so great. He had a fellow actor as his assistant; they had never worked together before, and it was great to see them interact. They were very conscious of each other and repeatedly checked in with each other. The first thing they learned was a stage slap.
This is a slow-mo video, so the sound is weird, but I was trying it out.
Next, they did some shootouts.
After practicing how to fight and fall, we had a question-and-answer period, and we talked about consent during acting, which was really good for the kids to hear. In theater and film, they have intimacy coaches to make sure everyone is safe and comfortable.
Afterwards, Claudia had a treat planned for us. We headed to the Waterloo station. They have a street market with food vendors, and it butts up against the London Eye. Claudia said we should check it out for lunch, but first, the Leake Street graffiti tunnel. It's a public space where you can view and create new work any time. She let us wander a bit and then revealed that she had brought spray paint to leave our mark on London.
Also, in the tunnels, have a hidden theater called The Vaults. They do mostly immersive theatre and alternative arts. The secret underbelly of London. It was really cool. I have never worked with spray paint like this.
Here's our finished masterpiece.
We walked over to the Eye for this group shot.
From here, we all separated. Lizzy and I had planned to go with Shelia and Ren after they went on the Eye. After they left, though, Lizzy decided to go with a group that was going shopping back at Notting Hill. She had promised friends back home some candy and needed to pick some up. I had no way to contact Shelia, so I stayed put for the hour and waited for them to return. I spoke to a nice family from Idaho.
When they returned, we walked along the bank looking for a nice spot to eat. Ren found a hot dog place, but Shelia and I wanted to try the vendor's we had passed earlier. We walked back there and found the vendors closing up for the day. This left us in a quandary. After some discussion, we decided to just go to the restaurant where we were going to have dinner at to wait.
We took the tube from Waterloo, and I saw this mark on the wall that reminded me of a specter or something. It was hauntingly beautiful, so I had to capture it.
We ate at Vapiano. A chain of modern Italian food. And I mean modern, you order through a QR code. I ordered a few appetizers, the Harissa chicken skewers, olives, and a strawberry lemonade.
It was delicious, and they were very accommodating. The rest of our group trickled in, and we moved upstairs to the party room for dinner. I had ordered the pesto pasta, which was okay, but I should have ordered the pizza instead. After our meal, we went to see Hamilton. Our group was split up into several smaller groups; we lucky four, got the extra leg room row, which was amazing.
We tried to get a group shot.
Our viewing of the show had many understudies playing the parts. It made the show more relaxed.
Outside, I snapped this pic with the poster.
Our last ride on the tube had an additional rider.
So long, High Street Kensington. It has been a real ride!
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