As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage… “ Lifetime theater artist and retired faculty member Bob McDonald has made a gift to the School of Fine Arts that will help introduce UConn Dramatic Arts students to the world stage.

McDonald’s gift establishes an endowed fund that supplements acting students’ financial aid so they can spend a semester of their junior year in London, studying at the Theatre Academy London and seeing productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

“Bob is a great example of passing on a legacy to the next generation of  artists,” says Vincent Cardinal, professor and head of the Department of Dramatic Arts.  “This gift will enrich the lives of our students and improve their ability to grow and share their talent with others.”

McDonald, an actor for several years in London, says “In a certain sense, I want the students to follow in my footsteps.”

“I believe their experience in a foreign city will prepare them for dealing with other cities. For three or four months, the students will be able to say, not only that they are out of Storrs but also that they are out of the country. They will be able to approach New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in a much different spirit for having been in London,” says McDonald. “I know London and I love the city. I feel like it has something valuable to share with our students.”

Details of the program, from housing to the curriculum and relationships with the London partners were worked out carefully over several years by Dale Rose, professor of dramatic arts and director of the acting programs. “Because of their work, there is little time for our students to go to New York and see significant actors,” says Rose.  “They study Shakespeare in the fall semester of their junior year.  Why not be where the work was created? They will be working on scenes from Richard the Third in the Tower of London.”

“The students will go to plays, talk to directors, and meet with actors. They will be able to watch a performance over and over again and really study the craft.  We believe this is where they will start to sense that this is what they are about as actors and where they will get the global perspective that is necessary to bring humanity to the stage,” says Rose.

“We are really excited,” says acting student Whitney Andrews, who, with the other acting students, will be living in the heart of London, right around the corner from the British Museum.  “I think it’s great that we get to leave UConn and see if we can do the work without our professors.  They help us reach that emotional point because they know us so well and we trust them.  In London, we shall see if we can do it on our own.”