West End theatre is considered to represent the highest level mainstream commercial theatre and is a common activity in London. Reportedly, attendance records have surpassed the 13 million mark in the year 2007. Modern theatre includes: drama, comedy, dance and musicals. There are currently around 40 different theaters running in London and a good portion of these hold shows every night.Popular west end shows currently include: Billy Elliot, Avenue Q, Wicked, Enron, We Will Rock You and Phantom of the Opera. Billy Elliot is a great piece to focus on.Based on the 2000 film of the same name, Billy Elliot is running for its 5th year and includes elements of musical, dance, comedy and drama all in one. The music was produced by Elton John and has been directed by the same director of the film, Stephen Daldry.The play has been nominated for multiple Laurence Olivier Awards and has won four including Best New Musical. It is currently planning multiple international tours in US, Canada and South Korea.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_End_theatre | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Elliot_the_Musical
There is one obvious playwright to think of when the topic of traditional British theatre is brought up, William Shakespeare. His works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and many more. All these works have made many regard Shakespeare as the greatest writer in the English language. Shakespeare has numerous plays that a world famous including: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Hamlet.In the 16th century, these plays were a form of mass communication. Each play held some sort of message that involved political and social issues. Within the Globe Theatre in London, up to 3000 spectators would view a play every night. During this day, that was 1% of the population, so it was not hard to move a strong political message to a wide audience in this time.Shakespeare has made a lasting impression on many theatre productions after his time. He took part in expanding characterization, plot, language and genre. He has also influenced the works of famous literary writers, Thomas Hardy, William Faulkner and Charles Dickens. During Shakespeare’s lifetime, he never received much praise, this was due to theatre not being held high in society, but in modern day theatre, he is held as a pioneer and master of his craft.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_theatre
Stained glass windows aren’t usually what one would think of as a mass communication, but when you really think about the message these pieces share and the number of people have seen them, I believe they can be in the same field. In every cathedral you go to in Europe, you are sure to run into a stained glass window of some sort, and mostly all have some sort of message behind them (usually involves important figures in the church or The Bible).Creating stained glass pieces is a difficult process which includes staining the glass in specific metallic salts, perfectly designing the pieces to fit together snugly and binding them all together to create a finished work.The window accompanied with this post is located in St. Patrick’s Church in Dublin, Ireland. This particular pieces simply titled “West Window” which depicts 39 scenes of the life of St. Patrick. For example, the burial of St. Patrick is depicted at the very top. This particular window was created in Newcastle. Modern uses of stained glass can be seen in many different areas, varying from metro stations to libraries.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stained_glass
While the previous post focused on “The Lord of the Rings” as literature, the focus of this post will be more cinematic in nature. Based off of J.K. Rowling’s series of the same name, the film series has become the highest grossing film series of all time and still has two more films to be released, The Deathly Hollows Parts 1 and 2. There are eight films in the series total, six of them already released.Rowling has had a heavy hand in the production of these films, insisting the cast be kept all British in keeping up the setting the books were based in. While most of the films stick true to the story, the producers have taken liberty in adding small elements to the film such as in “The Half Blood Prince” where the millennium bridge was destroyed. Reception for the film has been generally well, with every film scoring relatively high amongst top critics and fan reviews. There has been discourse amongst fans of the book series though due to the elements added and omitted though.The series has undergone four directors, each focusing on different elements for their films. While there has been disagreement/praise for each director, the series has no doubt been a huge success even with its different styles throughout.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_potter
The picture here is of a tree, but what is its importance in media? This tree has been reported to be J.R.R. Tolkien’s favorite tree while studying in Oxford. Tolkien was one of the more prolific modern writers in Britain, namely in the fantasy genre with “The Lord of the Rings” series. He was part of a literary discussion group known as “The Inklings” with another notable English writer, C.S. Lewis. His works of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” led to a resurgence of the fantasy genre in both Britain and America. He is labeled as the “father” of modern fantasy literature and his work has inspired like literature, music, film and video games.The Lord of the Rings can be considered Tolkien’s best work and has been labeled by the Sunday Telegraph as "among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century." The series was recently adapted into a Hollywood film series that was highly acclaimed as well, but it there was debate amongst critics if it dumbed down the literary elements too much for mass appeal.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkein | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_rings
Folk music has its origins in the earliest periods of British history. Folk music has traditionally consisted of stories told to music. This music is distinct to different regions and various styles can be seen in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.Folk music has a variety of different forms including: ballads, carols, children’s songs, jigs, protest songs, sea shanties and many others. All share one thing in a common, they share a story that can be retold again and again to reach a mass audience.The accompanied picture is of a folk music group performing in a pub in the Republic of Ireland. They performed traditional Irish folk songs along with more modern pieces with their own distinct style.Folk has also had influence in many modern genres of music as well including metal, punk and electric. Many of these types of music and traditional folk are performed today in pubs and festivals such as the Cambridge Folk Festival, held annually.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_folk_music
Music in some form has been present throughout all of history, but it wasn’t till the early 20th century when it could be broadcasted on a large scale. Radio gave rise to many modern music idols and in the context of England the most obvious artists to cover would have to be The Beatles.The story of The Beatles is well known and so I will only cover the important aspects of their history. Lennon and McCartney were initially in a band called “The Quarrymen” which played skiffle music, a blend of rock and roll and country of sorts. Soon after, McCartney’s friend Harrison would eventually join. Upon being signed with a label their drummer would be replaced with Starr. The band would continue to make music for 10 years but would break up due to disagreements on how to manage themselves.The Beatles throughout their 10 year run would help shape modern rock’s style and presentation. They have had countless songs in the top 10 charts and their albums continue to sell well to this day. Products such as the video game “The Beatles: Rock Band” continue to introduce their music to new generations and creating new interest in the band. Located in the band’s hometown of Liverpool is a museum that tells the entire story of The Beatles and the famous Cavern Club where the band played more than 300 shows.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_beatles
