Further On ... from Undergraduate trip to see Camelot

Further On . . . from

Undergraduate trip to see Camelot

Burning Coal Theatre, December 5, 2019

What happened

Each semester, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies organizes a fun outing to a local event to give students firsthand experiences with cultural forms that engage our field of study. On December 5th, a gathering of eleven students, consisting of majors and minors in the Medieval and Renaissance Studies program, as well as MedRen Focus participants, traveled to downtown Raleigh’s Burning Coal Theatre to watch a production of the classic musical Camelot. The Center’s visiting postdoctoral scholars, Dr. Grace Hamman and Dr. Lindsey Larre, accompanied the undergraduate students. After the show, the group walked to the local Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and indulged in some post-theatrical coffee and donuts and discussed their experience. 

Going further: A short interview with Duke undergraduates Emma Rand and Lindsay Dial

Emma, what did you think of  Camelot?

I thought it was absolutely amazing. I loved it, because I’ve loved reading the stories of King Arthur and I thought the music was fantastic. My favorite part was when Lancelot was singing “Song of the Seasons” to Guinevere; it is such a pretty song and they had great expressions, and being someone who has read the story—I know what is coming!

As a soon-to-be Medieval and Renaissance Studies major, is this the first activity you’ve done with the program? What has been your favorite part of becoming involved in the program?

I was in the Focus program last year [a first-semester residential learning program], and we went to Washington, D.C. as part of the experience. Seeing Camelot is the first thing I’ve attended since then. I’ve enjoyed being able to examine some of the older documents in the Rubenstein Library, which I had the chance to do in the Archives Alive class. Being able to look at those and actually handle them was just spectacular.

Lindsay, what was your favorite part of the evening tonight with all these Focus participants and MedRen majors?

I had a good time just meeting everybody, just because there were a lot of people I didn’t know here. But I especially enjoyed going to the musical itself—I really love the book that it’s based on, T. H. White’s The Once and Future King. It’s one of my favorite books! I enjoyed the show more than I thought I would, it was so amazing. And free donuts is great!

Are you a major in Medieval and Early Modern Studies? What led you to become involved with the program?

I am not a major. I'm super interested in King Arthur, and I'm currently in the Focus program. So I found it really interesting, and thought it was a great opportunity being afforded to me.

Will you come to other activities that CMRS sponsors?

If it’s anything like this, I definitely will!