The Stratford Diaries
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or “Friends that Purpose Merriment”
By Isto Barton
About a year ago, I had the incredible fortune to visit Shakespeare’s home town in Stratford-upon-Avon. During my 10-day jaunt I was able to see 6 productions at the Royal Shakespeare Center and attend the RSC Summer School, which provided academic and theatrical insights on these productions and their corresponding texts. I made incredible friends. I drank a lot of cider.
Why did I get to go on this incredible trip? I was the proud recipient of the 2014 Lizz Ketterer Memorial Trust Scholarship.
In 2011 a wonderful woman named Lizz Ketterer passed away as a result of complications derived from a diabetic seizure. Though I never met Lizz, her presence remains strong amidst the Shakespeare community. She was an incredible force of light and joy, which allowed her to deeply influence the lives of those around her. After her death, her friends decided to honor Lizz by continuing the work of her life’s love: studying Shakespeare’s plays through performance. The Ketterer’s Men banded together to perform plays that allowed them to raise funds for students that wanted to study what Lizz loved. Lizz was an alumna of the University of Texas’ Shakespeare at Winedale program. The trust offers other young alumni the opportunity to attend the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Summer School, which is held at The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. This entails days of lectures from actors, directors, and scholars regarding the plays that are being performed at the RSC.
I had one of the best times of my life burning the candle at both ends during those brief 10 days. Each day I recorded my thoughts. Near the end of the trip I mentioned this to one of the trustees, who asked me to publish my experience to help spread the word about the Lizz Ketterer Trust and the Ketterer’s Men.
To the credit of the program, I spent most of my time studying Shakespeare and laughing with friends. You will not find academic insight below. You will rarely find complete sentences. But I hope that the entries below convey the incredible experience that I had, and serve as a one record of Lizz’s legacy.
Please help spread the word about Lizz Ketterer and her legacy by following the trust on Facebook and Twitter.
Day 1
Thursday, August 14th
Flew direct from Austin to Heathrow. No one in surrounding seats — lovely. Harassed at border because I used the word “scholarship.” After lengthy interrogation, was allowed to pass. Took Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus to Marleybone. Bought ticket. Met Helen in Stratford. Sweet, goth girl. Dropped things at Kath & Mike’s (my hosts)— absolutely gorgeous home. Decided to grab a pint rather than sleep to fend off jet lag.
We walked into the city and wound up at the “Windy” — actually “The Windmill” — a favorite of Institute students. Drank with Helen and her lovely, lively friends. Already feel right at home. Kath Joined. She has a very warm presence. Headed home to Mike for dinner. Got lost — need better map.
Mike took the two of us to “Presto(?)” for Italian. My conversation was lacking due to jet lag. Hope I didn’t seem rude. After dinner, we went to “The Black Swan,” better known as “The Dirty Duck” near the RSC. This is the actors’ bar. Signed headshots of famous actors lined the walls. Found Lithgow’s headshot from his Malvolio performance and nerded out a little bit. Had a few pints — the ale is not to my liking. Much prefer American beer. They mock American beer constantly saying that it’s light, flavorless, and has a low alcohol content. They’re thinking of Budwieser. I wish I could fly over a few Austin kegs. Settled into drinking Stowford Press Cider. Walked home. Passed Out.
Day 2
Friday, August 15th
Tried to get up several times but could not shake my exhaustion. Finally rumbled out of bed by 10AM. Showered.
Went downstairs and was graciously offered tea or coffee. Explained my desire to head into town. Needed to get myself moving if I was to get the day started.
Went to Costa — my favorite, corporate, coffee shop. Then headed to H&M to get a sweater. Foolish to have forgotten one. Coming from Texas, the idea of a sweater in August is pretty ridiculous. Still, I should have known better.
Walked down to the Avon. It’s absolutely idyllic. Swans floating all over the water. Live music playing in the square. Ate fish & chips on the rooftop of the RSC and read The Magician King. Stumbled around the Avon and read some more. Came to Shakespeare’s burial. Two pounds to visit. So odd to think he’s here. Said a brief “thank you” with my hand over my heart and muttered “the labour we delight in physics pain.” Sounds lame in hindsight, but it felt nice.
Currently sitting in the graveyard outside of the church.
Felt compelled to write. Have really appreciated the time alone — certainly lowered my anxieties and allowed me to get my grounding. I hope that I have remained polite despite my isolation. I probably shouldn’t worry. As Mike kindly assured me this morning: “You do what you want to do and we’ll oblige.”
Reflections on mortality and what to do with my life. Loneliness. Contemplating the frivolity of theatre and life. Wondering what the point of it all is. How fitting.
…painful, jet-lag-induced poetry redacted…
After those musing, I walked up to the Institute where the students play soccer. I’ve passed at playing football with the Institute students for the moment. Glad I did. Sports were never my strong suit. I found a nice tree around the corner and read. Ran into Mike on the way to The New Bull’s Head and joined him.
Drank with a few students. Met a very nice man — who I believe was the head of Education at the University of Birmingham. I may be wrong. Jet-lag… He asked me what my favorite speech from Shakespeare was. I blanked and said Antipholus of Ephesus’ “My liege I am advised what I say…” monologe from Comedy. He asked why. Of course he did. I said that it was because it was a comedy powerhouse that neatly summed the play and was, easy for audiences to understand and fun to perform. He said that was unique. More unique than my actual favorite, no doubt. No idea why I couldn’t muster Hamlet’s “How all occassions…” soliloquy.
Met Will’s gorgeous wife and tried once again to get the path home committed to memory. I failed miserable.
Hope I am channelling Lizz well enough.
Day 3
Saturday, August 16th
Kath cooked me and Mike proper English breakfast. It was fitting and delicious. They are incredible hosts.
I headed into town on foot while Kath got ready for work at the RSC. We met next to the Dog’s dressing room at the back of the building (Two Gents was in rep). She gave me a tour of the backstage. It was an amazing experience! I tried to be cool. I’m horrible at that. It’s amazing what a little money will do for theatre! And when I say a little… I mean the backing of the Royal family. I got to see the wall that all of the actors sign after each season. They put their signatures atop clever amalgam drawings that represent the plays that were in rep each season. Saw Tennant’s signature — geeked out a bit. Kath asked me if I wanted a cup of coffee in the green room. Be cool. I said yes! And wow. It was huge. Fully stocked cafe with an espresso machine, wait staff, and a patio overlooking the Avon. Kath put a latte and an americano on her tab. Not at all what I was expecting from a green room coffee!
After that, I decided to check out the Birthplace. Before I got to the actual house, there was a small museum-like space that had small tidbits about Stratford, a video about modern uses of his work, and this gorgeous plaque on the left! It warmed my heart to see this twin two the one that Shakespeare at Winedale received through the Birthplace Trust’s Shakespeare on the Road program. Small world moment.
I realize that the city runs almost exclusively on the economics of Shakespeare’s notoriety, but I still found the environment of the actual Birthplace house mostly unsettling. Throughout the house they had people dressed in Elizabethan garb letting you know about what life was like as Shakespeare grew up. This was interesting and informational (though it’s always awkward when historical actors stick to character). There was little presentation about what made Shakespeare famous. It was definitely more historical. It was odd to think about standing on the same floors Shakespeare had. At the same time there were famous names scrawled into the house windows from days of toursim past, and those windows were displayed as a part of the tour. I could see that the venue was meant to appeal to the widest possible audience. The whole thing felt at once sacrilegious and cultish. The exception was the bookshop which was gorgeous and fully stocked with many different versions of Shakespeare’s plays. I grabbed a few Ardens for my collection while I was there.
Kath swung me tickets to IHIV that evening. It was very nice to see a professional production of this show. Antony Sher’s Falstaff was played as an actual alcoholic. It was an interesting choice, but all-together against what I think of when I think of producing a history play. Kath and I then headed home to discuss. After a number of counterpoints, she made the really interesting comparison of Shakespeare being performed in England as often as The Crucible is performed in America (if not more). That really put things into perspective for me. If I have to see one more bland, predictable version of The Crucible, I’ll blow my brains out. I’m sure the British feel similarly about the majority of Shakespeare.
I decided to head to bed, though it was only 11:30PM. Kath was still down to watch RII — love that woman! When I got to bed, I realized that I had pending texts from Helen inviting me to The Duck. I flashed back to the tour of the RSC earlier that day. I remember seeing a sign indicating that there was an RSC party happening that night. I was absolutely exhausted, but I was not going to miss this opportunity.
So, I got redressed. Texted Kath — which I then worried about for the next 24 hours — and headed down to the river. The Duck closed at midnight… British bars.
There were whispers among the Institute students of the party down the street (I made a point to memorize the address I had seen during the tour). I listed the address and we walked right in!
I had a blast — but couldn’t tell you what all happened. One RSC actor made me sausages on a grill. Another listened to me rave about his phenomenal Hotspur — Kevin, I believe . Must learn his story. He’s from North America.
I stumbled home, and passed out.
Day 4
Sunday, August 17th
Woke up after only a few hours of sleep and snuck out the door early. Ran to the train station and bought a ticket to Oxford. Had to transfer at Banbury — reminded me of Hannah as Bardolph in IHIV.
Arrived in Oxford and downloaded an audio tour — started walking. The tour was great. The campus, amazing. I could see myself being very happy living in a city like Oxford. The community of a mid-sized town, with the bustle of a city with purpose. They certainly know how to facilitate an inspirational environment. I thought of Allison often and grabbed her a leaf from a tree in one of the gardens. No idea why yet.
Sadly, the Bodleian Library and gay pubs were closed. Hopped back on the train and after a long delay in Warrick, made it back to Stratford in the knick of time for the RSC Summer School happy hour.
The program is much larger than I thought! Many people here. The crowd was much older than I had expected. This was at once off-putting and inspiring. I hope I’m still learning new things as my hair grays and the cane comes out .
Introduced myself to a few people, including the lovely Jamie, who just won the right to stay in this country. She introduced me to Michael Dobson, the Director of the Institute. He’s was very easy to talk to. I feel an immediate kinship with him.
Afterwards, a group went back to The New Bull’s head for trivia! I was thrilled! Helen and her handsome friend, Garreth, came. Two amazing moments: “What is the State Capital of TX,” followed by a round on Weird Al! We got to take home a CD of Weird Al songs. The group let me take it. What an amazing day. The Summer School Begins tomorrow.
Day 5
Monday, August 18th
Woke up exhausted and ironed one shirt before running down to the institute for the beginning of the RSC Summer School.
…Here and for the next few days you will see “Notes on Lecture” at the beginning of my day. I cannot begin to express how incredible the assortment of actors and scholars were. Since my words fail me, here is the schedule that we followed:
I spent most days in pure ecstasy. I chatted with the other students, and felt the incredible depth of Shakespeare at Winedale’s academic impact for the first time. It’s an incredible program. This was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Many of my notes were scrawled with stars that indicated ideas for future shows and character interpretations that I hope will surface over the next few years. For now, all you get are “Notes on Lecture,” but please know that a book could not contain the breadth of topics and conversation that were had during these sessions…
Walked home for a delicious dinner made by Kath. She, Mike, and I watched a show called “Pointless.” Love the show! Ran down to the theatre to see IHIV for a second time.
Enjoyed the production with new eyes after my conversation with Kath. I especially enjoyed the Hotspur/Uncle relationship. Shirtless Hal was not a bad addition. The fight was more choreography than acting. That was surprising to me. Falstaff was textually astute, but did not play for laughs. I intellectually understand the performance but emotionally hate it.
Ran home after the show. Exhausted from Oxford. My knee was hurting me quite a bit.
Kath says I’m “ burning the candle at both ends.” I love the expression and am proud to have it attributed to me. She says she’s the same was.
Passed out.
Day 6
Tuesday, August 19th
…Notes on Lecture…
Woke up early with a bit of snoozing and ironed my clothes. Kath interrupted me to offer me breakfast. She said she’d never met a man who ironed his own clothes and was impressed. Thanks, mom! She graciously fixed me some scrambled eggs and toast. I eat very slowly. I also need so. much. more. liquid. that the folks of this country.
Let this be a note to all future Ketterer Scholars. Don’t even bother with a Nalgene. Budget to buy as many water bottles as you possibly can. Water fountains do not exist.
Kath swung me a ticket to the understudy performance of Webster’s The White Devil. Apparently there is at least one all-understudy performance of each play per run. It was spectacular. I sat next to the actors of the main production and they cheered for their friends. The sense of community pride was palpable. The play itself was absolutely gorgeous. So many amazing aphorisms that I can’t wait to memorize.
Ate with Kath at The Dirty Duck between shows. Went back to see The White Devil for a second time with the main cast. It was almost an entirely different show! I preferred the regular production more. Not necessarily because of the acting, but because of the structure of the production. There was more structure between characters and plot. I’m glad I saw them in order. I’m also in awe of this incredible experience. I can’t believe that I got to see two sets of incredible actors perform the same text in such different ways! I preferred White Devil to the production of IHIV.
The Summer School students headed to The Dirty Duck after the show. Got to meet Will Sharpe, Lizz’s good friend and the head Ketterer trustee, for the first time. Feel a natural kinship with him. He’s a very sweet, very kind man. It was one of those meetings in which you feel an immediate pang of sadness to realize that your interactions will be short-lived. This was heightened because I get the feeling he may be as sensitive as I am. Made a few more friends at school.
After the Duck we went to “Witherspoons” (the only bar that stays open to the ripe old hour of 1AM). It reminded me very much of a suburban, American bar. They called it “trashy.” A few of us played a gambling pub quiz machine.
Retreated to Helen’s when we were kicked out. She lives right on the Avon! Drank. Colored in coloring books. Drew on each other with Sharpies. Cursed myself for being prematurely sad to leave these people. I felt very loved, very at-home, and very inebriated. Walked home. Passed out.
Day 7
Wednesday, August 20th
…Notes on Lecture…
Sat through lectures by the Institute Students for during lunch. The one the that stood out to me the most involved a the use of beds as props on stage. It was delivered by a very well-spoken, stunningly beautiful woman. And it was fascinating! The idea of a bed being a rare commodity was one I had never thought about. She drew some very interesting comparisons to the significance of beds to Elizabethan audiences. The merging of giving birth, consummating your marriage, and dying in the same place was very well articulated and made me think a lot about how you could create similar modern comparisons to pack the same punch for a modern audience. Fantastic lecture.
Ran to the talkback with the actors from Two Gents in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. They seemed to have been warned about the demographic in the Summer School. It was most interesting to see agism from two sides battle each other regarding the performance of such a controversial play. Perhaps the most dramatically tense thing I’ve seen thus far. Headed to The Duck with Gabriele & Patrizia (here from Italy), Catherine Sides, and Alastair Curtis (all fellow, younger students). I am currently sitting in The Duck and catching up on journalling.
Ran to see Two Gents. It was cleverly done. Much more placating towards the audience. Great acting. Much more energy and community surrounding this well-known comedy. You could feel the laughs in your bones and it felt good. They attempted to pat down the ending, but it’s impossible to fight the language.
Back to the Duck for a lovely chat with Will & Yu. I love Will. so. incredibly. much. He’s funny, smart, and gracious. We walked out of the Duck as it closed and headed home. Ran into Kath on the walk back. We chatted about Shakespeare studies and she ended the night saying “I’ll quite miss you young man!” It warmed my heart.
Day 8
Thursday, August 21st
…Notes on Lectures…
Skipped the day’s 3rd lecture and ran to “Carluccio’s” for a meeting with Nicola. She works in development at the RSC. This meeting was something I had not expected to happen. After Kath learned that I worked in Development and Fundraising in Austin, she quickly queried the RSC to find someone to whom she could introduce me. Nicola graciously agreed. It was awesome. She outlined their Development office (quite large), their budget (quite small — goals, that is), and their events (from minor ticket-holder events to “Corgi & Pearl” events with members of the Royal family). We talked about national and governmental donor differences. It was a nerdy wonderland. We ended lunch and she offered to put me in touch with the Development guy at the RSC New York. Amazing! She then gave me a donor tour of the RSC (front of house). I learned so many cool additional tidbits! I gave her a Deep-Eddy Sweet Tea shot, and headed back to The Duck to down a few ciders before my tattoo!
They were just able to squeeze me in… and I had to make an international call on my phone to ease the process, but I got it! I got at “V.” Rather, I got the Roman Numeral “5” on the inside of my left ankle. Aaron from “A Fine Tattoo Establishment” tatted me up. He wanted to shade it, but I wanted it as it looks in the Folio. I love it too, too much. So glad Helen met me to get it done and that Kath walked by as I was in the chair. It all felt right. I can’t stop staring at it. It’s perfect.
Helen and I went to drink and eat at The Garrick afterwards. I love her so much. She’s a very smart, compassionate, independent person. I really hope that this is not the last time that our paths cross. After dinner I headed to Dekker & Middleton’s The Roaring Girl. I didn’t care for it, though I wanted to so badly. The script was haphazard and shallow — which the actors had prewarned us about in the morning’s lecture. The women in the play made a really excellent point that there needs to be more focus on this incredible cross-dressing woman, Moll Cutpurse. Must learn more about her. Back to The Duck.
I took a picture with the trustees and gave them their gifts: Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka and Texas Shot Glasses. We chatted and drank. It very well may be the drinking, the sleep deprivation, or the vacation, but the kinship I feel with these people is unreal. I’m so sad that I don’t get to spend more time with them. When The Duck closed we headed back to Susan’s — a lovely woman who is a student at the Institute. She had a house in town and poured us wine and tore us chips. This is one of my favorite traditions. One person buys a round. Another person buys a bag of chips and tears them open for the table. Such community. It was soon late enough to power-through the saddness of my goodbyes to Helen. It’s such a shame to leave her. I headed back home.
Day 9
Friday, August 22nd
…Notes on Lecture…
Ran down to my final morning lectures. They were amazing. When they concluded I had to say my quick goodbye to my friends from the school because Kath was picking me up for a driving tour of the Cotswolds — something everyone in the school was envying me for. The Cotswolds are the villages South of Stratford that represent the sterotypical English countryside. It was gorgeous journey. It was also cool to get the ride in an English car. I got front seat and felt odd about not having a steering wheel in front of me.
We stopped by two old churches, then a gift shop for me to grab souvenirs. We then headed back to Statford for tea at a place called “Four Teas” As in… the 1940’s… which would have been exclusively kitschy… if my hosts had not been able to tell me what it was like to grow up in the 40’s in Britain. They told me about schooling and bomb raids during that time. It was intimate and humbling. We had Prosecco and tea — which comes with sandwhiches, scones, and sweets. Delicious. The tea hit a spot in me that I didn’t know it could.
Went back to Kath & Mike’s— thank god I was driven. I was on the brink of collapse. I packed my things and gave them gifts for their hosting — some BBQ cooking materials — and took a quick (though too short) nap. Said goodbye to Mike (as I would be in late and up early), and headed to The Old Thatch where I met Will, Erin (his wife), and Jose (another trustee).
I chatted with Erin most of the night. She’s lovely. This trip has made me feel smart, confident, independent and capable — I sincerely hope I do not lose that as I return home.
At some point we transferred to Witherspoons (referred to as ‘Spoons) to close the night. We knew they would allow us the longest time together. I felt I needed to have Fish & Chips. I should have eaten elsewhere for quality, but ceremony was had.
Walked home with them. Said my goodbyes as our paths diverged. Too tired to feel the longing sadness that underscored the connection I had felt with them.
Passed out at 1:30AM for 5:30AM train.
Day 10
Saturday, August 23rd
Up early — Will and Yu drove me t0 Warwick Parkway where I caught a bus ( in which the toilet exploded while I was asleep, tainting my luggage). Lovely.
At some point my feces-covered bus finally got to Terminal 5 and I cleaned myself and my bags off. I had a final cider as I waited for my gate. It appeared — I travelled there — I boarded — watched a few movies and passed out.
…
All-in-all it was a great trip — a life-changing trip (or one can hope). I hope I walk away from this taking more time for myself — that I start thinking more seriously about at grad school, and that I keep thinking about my future in a proactive and non-doom-ridden way.
I already miss the lovely people that I met.
I also don’t want a pet or a mortgage! I want freedom for the next few years! I want to live in a city! I want to find my new home for a while. I want to figure out my plan!
Then again, it seems more about doing things than it does about planning. There enlies an unfortunate ‘bout of emotions that I’m afraid I am going to have to get more comfortable with.
Anyway.
This trip was amazing. Scholarly. Debauacherous. Inspiring. Adventurous. Family-like. Entertaining. Cathartic. Historical. Drunken. Provokative. Introspective. Freeing. Gorgeous. Peaceful. Empowering.
I hope that Lizz would be proud of my embassy. I know I am beaming with gratitude for this woman I never met. I aspire to live my life with a comparable compassion and influence.
Five years ago I walked into James Loehlin’s “Shakespeare through Performance” class. That semester I performed Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice. One of the lines that James had cut was: “For/ We have friends that purpose merriment.” It wasn’t much, but for our final performance, I could think of no more fitting line to express the life I had stumbled into. My life is forever changed, and will continue to be influenced my this program. The Lizz Ketterer scholarship added more friends that purpose merriment to my life. I do not deserve the fortune I have found.
-Isto
