Roll on next year

Looking at my Cultural eXchanges booklet, with my black biro marks next to all the events I wanted to attend, I can honestly say this week has been worth it. I’m sure when some students were told about the event, they heard the announcement as "week off". That isn’t the case at all, those of you who stayed away have truly missed out.

For travel and other reasons, I couldn't attend half of what I wanted to, but the performances and lectures I've seen have made the whole week one to remember.

University is still fresh for me and the rest of the first years. I'd never heard of Cultural eXchanges before as I'm the first in my family to come to De Montfort. It was a week I was not expecting, and one I will be attending for the foreseeable future.

Given the diversity of events, it was amazing to see what you could discover by attending lectures you were unsure of, with a spontaneous urge to learn.

That's exactly what I did this week. I never dreamed of finding so much to interest and excite me.

Roll on next year!

Sophie Price

Big, bad wolf

Well I can certainly say that I will never read Little Red Riding Hood the same again. Not that I’m complaining of course - it caused more than a few laughs.

I don’t think there was one straight face in the lecture room after the five performers had reeled off their poetry and prose to us during the short hour.

I'm not going to explain the many-faceted comedies involved. I'll just say they involved something wiggling, a phone, a throne, a stalker and a job that involved catering to clients with some very specific demands.

The only disappointment was that time went so fast. I wished I could have rewound the whole presentation and played it again.

To speak plainly, it was simply brilliant.

Sophie Price

Are we ready for a curtain call?

Michael Billington, theatre critic for The Guardian newspaper took part in this year’s Cultural eXchanges programme on February 28th at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Judging by the packed lecture theatre in the Clephan building, members of the public were itching to see Britain’s longest-serving theatre critic, eager to listen and with a list of questions at the ready.

Though just another face in a large crowd, I felt a part of the interview between Mr Billington and Dr Elinor Parsons as he spoke of his career spanning over forty years and his love of the theatre.

Having started his career with The Guardian in 1971, Mr Billington find his regular reviews in the newspapers now bring him into closer (and faster) dialogue with readers thanks to the internet.

Listening to Mr Billington, I felt my love for the theatre take a new turn as he spoke about the future and how financial cuts could mean fewer people would be able to see live theatre. For him, ticket pricing was crucial; he said if tickets were to be charged at the same price as a cup of coffee, the difference in audience numbers would be immense.

I hope Mr Billington will return to take part in next year’s Cultural eXchanges as his presence was appreciated by not only De Montfort University students, but also by members of the public who travelled to see him in person.


Sophie Price