'What country friends is this -?' What's Next in London - MC3 on the Air with Michele C

Before I left for London, I had a chance to sit down with Michele Cuomo, Dean of Arts and Humanities at Montgomery County Community College on MC3 on the Air to talk about my Sabbatical time in London, this project, and some of the things I am looking forward to in the months ahead.

The goal of the project, and this blog, is "to send as much information as I can back to the college and community about the London theatre scene, London theatre artists," and what is happening in the city of London today. I have always loved travel, and found it to be the key to education: going to some place new, to encounter what it is you do not know. It has always been my experience in travel that I "can't imagine all the things I haven't imagined." Washing up on foreign shores and knocking on doors is the best way I know to encounter the thing I do not know.

Of course, I will be focusing on the theatre in London, and hope you'll join me as I dive into the incredibly rich theatre scene here. One of the goals for the Theatre Arts program is to help our students become "cultural participants in their community." It is my hope that the things I may be able to share from foreign shores will inspire my students, to do just that, and help Montgomery County Community College to fulfill its promise as a cultural destination for Montgomery County.

Give the interview a listen, and come back to check in with this blog about the new world I am encountering. I landed in London on September first and already I have found so much to see, to speak about and share. A few things to look forward to in the weeks ahead:

There will be a live, FREE broadcast of Shakespeare's Globe's production 'A Midsummer Nights Dream,' Sunday September 11, 1:30 pm EST in USA. Directed by Emma Rice, the new Artistic Director at the Globe, it is a stunning new direction for the theatre, and you can read about it on the pages of this blog. Click on the image to the left for more information on connecting to the broadcast.*

The Almeida Theatre production of 'Richard III' will be presented as a HD film presentation at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, September 8 and 11th. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave, this production is a chilling look at the perils of handing power to a narcissistic paranoid. Read about it in this blog - click on the image to the left for more information about the screening

September 2nd marked the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London- and events throughout the city commemorated #GreatFire350, a series of art installations bring fire to the live city today. Look for a blog post about the culminating Great Fire on the Thames, and click on the image to the left for information about the project.

What was the Great Fire of London, and how did it change history? Read the blog of the Curator of the Royal Historic Palaces (left) for information on the history of the fire, its aftermath, the political rumors about its ignition, how it changed London...and saved it.

And - in the wings:

'Young Chekhov' at The National Theatre, a rare production of two of the master playwright's early pieces ('Platonov,' 'Ivanov'), presented in marathon with 'The Seagull.' - The Rose Theatre, the OLDEST performing space in the city, presents a series of salon readings of rarely produced scripts by female playwright of the Restoration, 'The Rose Unfolds' - Suzan Lori-Parks' 'Father Comes Home From the Wars' at The Royal Court : the Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright looks at The Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War.

Want to know what happens next? Add on on Twitter @whistlertweet .....or follow along with this little guy, #tinyshakespeare, on Twitter or Facebook.

- Mike

* after Sunday, September 11, the Shakespeare Live production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' will be available on demand at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ehw2mb#p044zz36