Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Today was jammed packed with activities, so we have many student bloggers for our last evening here in Ashland...

• I wake up. I see a beautiful sun. But...someone's alarm went off. We all went down for breakfast then we left the hotel for OSF. Wayne T. Larr, also known as Caliban from The Tempest, talks to us about his career as an actor and the deeper meaning of the play The Tempest. 

A beautiful start to our day in Ashland! 

• Today we also took a tour of OSF. We went behind the scenes of the plays. Our tour guide was the star of The Cocoanuts. It was kind of weird to see him out of character. We learned that every actor has an understudy, or replacement. He or she is ready to take over the role if the original actor is hurt - say hit with a car. 

The outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre at OSF. 

• After lunch we went to the ScienceWorks Museum. We walked into the building and were greeted by a variety of hands-on exhibits including: interactive bubble exhibits, the momentum machine, and many more. Each exhibit allowed some sort of interaction while also describing how it works and what it is. We were all allowed to wander the museum for some time. Then we were called into a room for the second portion of our trip. We were introduced to a man named Chris. Chris told us that we were to engineer our very own roller coasters! Of course these were only made using small, cut up foam tubes and marbles. We were allowed a half hour to design and build our coasters, whether it be with your friends or on your own. After the half hour, there were three structures produced. The first being a very long track, with a few twists and loops in between start and finish. The second was a very twisty and bumpy track with a jump at the end. The third was a track making use of the vertical space, with the track traveling underneath itself. And finally, Chris brought us to the last portion of our tour. This was showing the power of static electricity and polarities. He showed off a machine that would launch metal rings into the air and how cold affected its height. He also used the audience as examples to show how charging your body with static electricity can make your hair rise, create small bolts of electricity out of your finger, and repel bubbles with your hand! Overall, it seemed we all enjoyed the tour, even if it seemed to be oriented towards younger audiences. So if you are ever in Ashland, make sure to visit this museum! 

Learning about strobe lights and movement with Barbies at ScienceWorks. 

• Before the play The Comedy of Errors, we attended a prologue class so we would understand it better. The prologue gave us a bit of a backstory to the play. 
• This evening we saw The Comedy of Errors. I will admit I was confused for some of it with the identity of the actors. It was very interesting though and it kept my attention through the whole play. In the end they found the other Antipholus and Dromio and all four of them were reunited. Everyone was happy and they all got back together again. 
• The food this trip has been a diverse experience. It was also very interesting to see what it is really like to pay for your own food and be careful with the money you spend. I think we will all leave this trip with a greater understanding of reality. 

The students were very excited to be able to dine out on their own this evening. The group split up into three smaller groups and explored Main Street and all it had to offer. They all did a wonderful job with their time management and thoroughly enjoyed this freedom.