New Year Gathering – Around the Globe in 60 mins Ideas?

About the Event

Written by Hannah CALDWALL (FS2012-13, University of Oxford)

The focus of this event was on cultural exchange between East and West.  This is why we went to see a performance of a play about Shakespearean England, set in a pop-up replica of the Globe theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were performed.  We followed this with lunch at a popular ramen restaurant in the city to share our thoughts and ideas about the performance.  We chose to host this meeting in January to gather Fung Scholars to catch up on news and to share our plans and ambitions for the new year, and to meet our goal of hosting activities quarterly to build a stronger network, and to encourage others coming to Australia to join a regular series of events.

We met at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, where there is a temporary replica of the Globe theatre in London, UK has been constructed for the summer.  The aim is to share the magic of Shakespeare, and we felt this spirit of cultural exchange fitted well with the aims of the Fung scholarship.  We chose to see a fictional play, based on the history of the Globe theatre after Shakespeare, called Around the Globe in 60 minutes as this provided an easily accessible and entertaining insight into the world of theatre in Shakespeare’s time.

Pop-up Globe, is the world’s first full-scale temporary working replica of one of the greatest theatres in history.  It has been a popular summer attraction in Melbourne, with performances of a range of well-known Shakespeare plays running throughout the summer. We all enjoyed the performance, and learnt about the history of the period, as well as experiencing a style of performance similar to the traditionally British pantomime, which is popular around Christmas time in the UK.

After the performance we went into the CBD to discuss what we thought of it over lunch.  We went to Hakata Gensuke for chicken ramen, in keeping with our theme of East/West cultural exchange.  We chose this restaurant as it is a popular choice in the city.  The founder secured the title of Ultimate Ramen Champion in 2011 and 2012, and in 2015 it was awarded the ‘Best Bang for Bucks’ award by Time Out Melbourne.

We discussed what we thought of the performance, and talked about the history and theatre in different cultures we know.  We also caught up on how everyone had been since our last meeting in September, and what everyone had done over the Christmas holidays, and what our plans for the new year were.  Before leaving, we talked about what we might do for our next meeting, and when more Fung Scholars might be arriving to study in Australia.  We decided Chinese New Year might be a good time for our next gathering, but we will discuss this further to come up with a proposal.

This event encouraged the Fung Scholars’ spirit of cultural exchange, by combining elements of Eastern and Western culture.  We learnt about the history and culture of Shakespearean England, and experienced a typically British style of performance, with Australian cultural references thrown in too.  Lunch at a ramen restaurant provided an opportunity to discuss the performance and share our views on the play, and to talk more broadly about the topic of our multi-cultural experience in Melbourne, and develop a deeper understanding of Melbourne’s cultural scene.  It was a great chance to strengthen the bonds within the network, which we hope will give us a strong foundation and encourage more Fung Scholars to join us when they arrive in Australia.  Meeting at the start of the new year was also a great chance to spark ideas for events for the rest of the year, especially when new Fung Scholars begin their studies here with the start of the new academic year.  We look forward to organizing our next event soon!