Global classrooms: England and Ireland

By Grace Sanborn ’25

The world was a stage for students in London and Dublin Theater. Students crossed the pond with Jake Salgado, assistant professor of scenography, and Alexander Owens, technical director and adjunct professor for a theater-based course in the British Isles. 

While the course was focused on theater, class excursions also included tours of cultural sites like Warwick Castle in England and Newgrange, a Neolithic passage tomb and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Ireland. 

Students balanced morning classes in both London and Dublin with shows in the evening, which varied between classics like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and new musicals, including Operation Mincemeat.

Lily Bentley ’26 says the course “created a perfect balance of structure and freedom” for an interim experience. She adds that she was able to ride horses through Hyde Park while in London.

“Riding through paths that have been used for centuries was what really helped sink in how old London truly is and how much history is in every corner,” Bentley says.

Bentley adds that the interim course allowed her to engage with theater, which she has not had the opportunity to do while on campus.

“I have always loved theater but never had the time in my schedule to participate in it at college,” Bentley says. “This experience was a perfect opportunity to go see shows while also fitting in an academic aspect, as well as exploring new countries and cultures.”