BADA: What's Not to Love? Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were awesome! Production experiences are very dependent on the director and what role you receive, obviously. It is more of an attempt to offer students the opportunity to see what it would be like to work on a theatre production full time than to present them on a professional level. Personally, I enjoyed the classes portion of the program more than the rehearsals and performance.

On-site administration of your program

The school is about 2 miles away from the residences (40 minute walk) and there are no convenient trains or buses to take from one to the other. Personally, I enjoyed the walk. The weather isn't too cold most of the time and it's a good warm-up before class. However, it's important to allow enough time to get to and from class. The faculty are generally great. Of course, some teachers are more effective than others for each student. I particularly enjoyed classes taught by Annabel Levington (High Comedy 2nd half of the classes portion of the program), Mick Barnfather (Physical Acting), and Ian Ian Wooldridge (Shakespeare). The program was particularly small this semester (only 30 students) and I really enjoyed the increased personal attention this allowed for.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The Landward apartments look nice, but they have many issues. We were with only sporadic heat and luke-warm water from January until March. They finally replaced the boiler, but it was already starting to warm up outside, so sometimes it was too hot! Sheets are provided for you and there is housecleaning once a week (when will I ever have housecleaning again?). Cookware is provided, but often residents end up buying a few extra things around the corner at Argos (sort of the British equivalent of Target).

Pack your own lunch. It saves a lot of money. If you need to buy food at school, the canteen has good sandwiches that aren't very expensive, but it adds up...

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Go out in London! That's half the experience or more! London is really fun! The shows that the program takes you to are great, but see shows in addition to that too! I recommend the Hampstead Theatre or The National. There are tons of theatres otherwise to go to... Good food: Polpo (Soho), The Anchor & The Hope (Southwark), Patog (around the corner from the Landward--I think it's just ok, but my classmates LOVED it.) Saturday night: The Big Chill House, The Lexington, Sunday Jazz Club near the West End...ask me if you want to know where it is...

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

(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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• International Students
• Local Students
• Americans