Night Out at Shackleton’s Carpenter – A one man play

My brother really likes going to plays. This was something I did not know until he came to visit me in England – he’s become so cultured. Who knew. So, when searching through The Stage Stortford’s booklet that comes through our door every month, he picked out a few plays that caught his eye, the first one being Shackleton’s Carpenter. I didn’t know much about the play, but grabbed some tickets and set out with him and Dann to attend.

I’ve not actually been to a local play or a larger London based play since coming to England. In school, we use to take big trips to bigger cities, in order to see large plays around Christmas. These always had tons of actors, loads of scenes, different backgrounds, etc. Going to a local play, I had no idea what to expect. Shackleton’s Carpenter is a play done entirely by a single actor – which is already an amazing feat. Talking to ghosts and random members of the audience, Harry McNish tells his tale of being the only man who challenged the boss who manned their ship on the Antarctic ice floes.

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A Day Out at the Megson Family Folk Show

[Ad- gifted experience] If you’ve got smaller children in your family, I am sure you know that they really love music. There is just something about music that children gravitate towards, especially as they are younger. Megson, a British folk duo, have just released a new album and is currently is touring around England. We were lucky enough to see their live show, which is a wonderful family tour, as well as get their album and coloring book.

Going to see their live show, I had not been to a children’s concert since I was a child myself and I was pretty excited. Megson play a mix of original songs and classical favorites, providing some stuff I did know and plenty I didn’t. At their Colchester concert, the music was a great pitch and the stage was set well. There is a big area at the front full of pillows and soft cushions for children to sit at, with chairs more towards the back for those who wanted them. Children were encouraged to dance and sing along, as well as taught about various instruments and even a little sign language.

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Night Out at Zeus on the Loose – a Cabaret/Burlesque show

[Ad- gifted experience] Described as a ‘Subversive adult cabaret musical theater burlesque show’ Zeus on the Loose is a somewhat distant take on Greek mythology, containing all of your favorite gods; Zeus – who only really has one thing on his mind, Hades – played by the hilarious Vicky Vox, who is really just looking out for herself, Hera – who is really just quite jealous of everyone Zeus sleeps with, and a bunch of smaller characters and nymphs. Dean McCullough plays a stage master, much like in children’s pantomime, talking between segments of the show and interacting with the audience.

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A Day Out at the Imperial War Museum London

My brother really does enjoy museums. After taking a look at the Science Museum, he wanted to see a more war focused museum. A friend suggested the Imperial War Museum, which really hit the spot when it came to exactly what he wanted to check out. With Dann in tow, we went off into London to explore this museum.

Lots to see and read

It’s worth noting that the Imperial War Museum takes more time to make it through, as the museum has a lot more reading to do than other museums we’ve been too. The well laid out areas showcase different time periods in war, walking you through what happened, different major points and explaining different sides. Dann mentioned a lot of this was what he learned in school here in England, while we didn’t go this much into depth of wars in America. Following through the first wing, there was so much to see; interactive points like an old football-inspired game that taught children what trenches were, jackets and hats that were warn in war, showing how heavy these objects where and even some physical trenches you could walk through, with shadows of others on it. There was even a simulation game that allowed you to pick strategies to fight off submarines getting sunk. Everyday objects used around the time of the war like gas masks and different guns were on display, as were posters and advertisements that encouraged women to help in the workforce or men from different countries to join the war. We walked quite slowly around these areas, sucking everything in. You could learn basically everything about World War I and World War II in this museum.

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