Students, Community Members Find Magic on London Theatre Tour

Editor's Note: This article was provided to Patch by UW-Waukesha.

If you spot Kira Renkas on campus with a faraway look in her eyes, her thoughts might have drifted to the Globe Theater or perhaps she’s picturing herself walking out of her hotel onto the streets of London – or maybe she’s just thinking once again of the big world beyond Waukesha, Wisconsin.

The 20-year-old University of Wisconsin-Waukesha student was one of 13 travelers participating in Continuing Education’s nine-day London Theatre Tour trip in January. The large impact the experience has had on her is difficult to explain but undeniable, Renkas said.

“I think about London every day, all the time, and I even dream about it still,” she said. “I really love and cherish every moment of it.”

The trip, for which participants could earn one to three course credits through Continuing Education, was led by Steve and Candy Decker on Jan. 2-11. It featured eight tours including the Tower of London, the British Museum and Millennium Dome, seven performances including “Blood Brothers,” “Billy Elliot” and “Woman in Black,” two interactive workshops at the Fortune and Globe theatres and many more activities.

Renkas, who has performed in plays at UW-Waukesha and in the Windy Hill Vocal Jazz Ensemble, plans to transfer to UW-Milwaukee in the fall and pursue a BFA in acting. An interest in British culture along with her acting aspirations led Renkas to sign up for the trip, and her expectations were more than fulfilled.

“It revealed to me that there is so much more out there than this little place we call Waukesha,” she said. “There are real people there, just not the huge collective mass that we occasionally read about in the newspaper. These people have thoughts and feelings and jobs that they hate going to, people that they love and care about. It was cool to see, even though the British are considered our cousins in culture, how different they were, as well as how similar.”

Renkas has already talked of making a return trip to London with one of her fellow travelers, Ryan Cappleman.

Cappleman, a former UW-Waukesha student who just graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a BFA in inter-arts musical theater performance, is never far from a theater. He’s a lead teacher of musical theater at First Stage Children’s Theater Academy, head usher at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, freelance pianist, accompanist, and music director, and singer, actor, and dancer/choreographer.

The experience in London, however, offered him the chance to greatly expand his knowledge of theater and acting, Cappleman said.

“The theater quality is so high in London,” he said.  “I've seen a lot of theater, many shows on Broadway, and though I love New York and Broadway, London is the mecca for theater. The performances were so honest, believable, and really took the audience on a journey. I was moved by every performance. I’ve set new goals with my life just from going on this trip.”

The London trip was a graduation present for Cappleman. Knowing the trip was on the line made Cappleman a better student in his final semester at UW-Milwaukee.

“Having the trip so far ahead and as a graduation present meant I had to graduate,” he said. “I had to do well in all of my last semester of classes. When I’d get home from school and not want to do homework, I’d remember the trip coming up and I’d push myself through it and ended up getting all As and one C.”

Cappleman calls the trip “one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

For Candy Decker, Continuing Education’s marketing communications coordinator, watching the group of students and community members blossom and inspire one another in London was very rewarding.

“That was what was kind of magical about it,” she said. “It just opened up so many avenues for both the students and others.”

The other half of the Double Deckers (as they were called on the trip), Steve, associate professor of communication and theatre arts, said the group was fortunate to have excellent tour guides throughout the trip. The bed-and-breakfast-style hotel where they stayed also was beneficial to the travelers’ experience.

“You really got a good perspective of what it would be like to live in London,” he said.

 Another traveler, Amy Overby, is a mid-career professional who works in fundraising for a Madison-based nonprofit organization. Like others on the trip, Overby praised the quality of interaction among those on the trip.

“I loved the mix of ‘traditionally-aged’ students and adults of many ages,” she said. “I enjoyed hearing the perspectives and knowledge of everyone including Steve and Candy’s experiences.”

A proponent of educational travel, Overby said she also went on the trip because of her background in theater – she spent her early career doing production work – and her enjoyment of all things British.

“I am a huge Anglophile and love many aspects of English history and culture,” she said.

Several destinations on the trip stood out for Overby, including the Globe Theatre and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

“Frankly, just walking the streets of London and learning about the city’s history was a treat,” she said.

Gene Balcerzak is a frequent participant in Continuing Education’s varied offerings. He was the first recipient of the department’s Life Long Learner Award in 2011. A former Milwaukee firefighter and grandfather of six, Balcerzak said although he has been on many trips, he’s never seen kinder, more thoughtful people than in London. “This includes everyone we made contact with,” he said.

Getting the first-hand scoop on Shakespeare was also exciting for Balcerzak.

“I had zero knowledge of Shakespeare,” he said. “Our leaders Steve and Candace made it exciting to learn his history, his place of birth, and then to see two of his plays was simply wonderful.”

Jane Crisler, associate professor of history at UW-Waukesha and former interim dean, also praised the Deckers for making the trip a “fantastic teaching and learning opportunity.”

“It was a very fine shared experience,” she said.

Steve Decker said Continuing Education’s role in organizing educational-based trips is very important.

“You’re promoting a life-long engagement,” he said. “Don’t be satisfied, keep trying new things. Keep exploring your life.”

Candy Decker, who is often involved in UW-Waukesha’s theatrical productions with her husband, said Steve’s frequent refrain that theater changes lives was proven accurate on the trip.

“I really think it changes our lives,” she said. “It excites a passion in us. It makes us more open.”

CE is offering another theater-themed trip to London on Jan. 2-11, 2013. London Theatre Tour: Classics Meet the Cutting Edge 2013 costs $3,999 including a $500 non-refundable deposit upon registration. A free information session about the trip will be scheduled soon.

More information about next year’s London theatre trip and Continuing Education’s other travel opportunities will be available at the department’s annual World Travel Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 17. Learn about CE’s upcoming trips to Cuba, Indochina, Austria, Wales, Easter Island, Helsinki, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bar Harbor, and Cape Cod/ Key West.

The UW-Waukesha Office of Continuing Education (CE) strives to fulfill the needs of life-long learners, reaching audiences in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, and beyond. CE serves individual students of any age, as well as institutions and organizations. CE is often a niche for students who have not found a foothold in a traditional academic setting – teenage reluctant learners, adult learners, professionals seeking advanced training and senior citizens pursuing personal interests.

To help students grow and learn, professionally and personally, CE offers a variety of educational programs in a range of subjects. CE courses are designed to help students practice a new interest or skill, develop new career paths, or travel abroad. CE fulfills needs for professional development and continued training within various specific fields. CE provides opportunities for individuals to work with experts and peers to update and improve career skills. CE classes are packaged in a variety of formats, including online, face-to-face, seminars, workshops, and ongoing classes.