CEA CAPA London Theatre Arts

I really enjoyed studying abroad with CEA CAPA in London this past semester. Most of my classes were excellent, with very attentive and engaged professors. They always took us on field study trips which was a great way to contextualize what we discussed in class, as well as a nice way to get out into new parts of the city. I am a Theatre/Media Comm major, and it was important to me that wherever I studied abroad I could take theatre studies classes. I am not a performer, which limited me from a few of the programs my college marked for Theatre Majors. But there were a few choices for theatre classes at CAPA which allowed me to stay in my academic interests. London is also bursting with performances to attend, one of which was written by one of my professors. I got to see so many shows, visit so many museums, and just discover new places every day.

While I did not do an internship abroad, I had roommates who did and they had a pretty good time. It was very time consuming for them, but they made the experience work for their schedule. Everyone had a different environment, working with companies across the city, so the intensity depended on where students were placed.

One thing to consider is that CEA CAPA isn't at a British university, it's a program with just study abroad students. I didn't mind this and felt good knowing I was at a similar level as my classmates, but if someone wanted to be taking classes with British students, this might not be the choice for them. CAPA has it's own building with classrooms and a lounge, and everyone there was really friendly and willing to help you with whatever you needed. They sponsored multiple activities like a trip to Stonehenge and Bath, a tour of the Tower of London, and tickets to see a West End show. There were also mid term and end of term dinners to celebrate our hard work.

I am not a city person but I adapted better than I thought I would, especially with the London Underground. CAPA provided us with Oyster cards for full travel throughout the inner zones, so we were pretty free to explore. It was sort of loud outside our flat building most nights and our flat was sort of small for all seven of us living there, sharing one stove and oven for individual meals. But I liked our neighborhood and how close we were to the tube stop and a couple grocery stores.

Overall, I had a great time in London and with CEA CAPA.