We had a glorious excursion to Stratford-upon-Avon. After a condensed meeting with minor seminars, we piled onto our private coach bus.

First stop, Mary Arden’s Farm, a working Tudor smallholding once owned by Shakespeare’s mother. Students watched a falconry demonstration, encountered some barn animals, and even tried their hand at archery. Next, we enjoyed a three-course pre-theater menu at Susie’s Cafe.

Filled with pea and watercress soup, salmon, chicken, crème brûlée, coconut mousse, and more, students were ready to take in a performance of As You Like It at the Royal Shakespeare Company. This pastoral play is known for its strong female lead Rosalind, as well as the monologue “All the world’s a stage.” It was a lively, musical performance that incorporated a lot of physical humor and breaking the fourth wall.

It was a late night, but well worth it. As the Bard says in this very play: “Time travels in diverse paces with diverse persons.”

— Pre-College Oxford 2019