Catching some culture in Southampton

A super important part of being a student is learning. You could even say that that's exactly what makes a student a student. However, that doesn't necessarily mean we have to be hitting the books every five seconds; there are plenty of other ways to learn. For example, taking in the arts.

This week, as something of a reward to myself for finally finishing off the first draft of my dissertation (at long last!), I decided to take in some of Southampton's culture and headed off to a show at the city's biggest theatre, The Mayflower; a towering behemoth that up to this point, I had, for some bizarre unknown reason, entirely ignored. It's very easy to just assume that all the biggest and brightest shows only go on in London, and that every other city simply pales in comparison, but this week I was proven incredibly wrong.

First of all, The Mayflower is actually pretty huge. It's semi-hidden behind the train station and part of the newly opened Mayflower Halls, but when you get inside - much like a TARDIS - it opens up very impressively. In fact, it's the biggest theatre on the South Coast!

My girlfriend and I all dressed up ready for Rocky Horror!

My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to catch one of the touring performances of The Rocky Horror Show, which has been doing the rounds around the country for over forty years now, and yet Southampton's taste of it all still felt just as spectacular as one put on in the capital. Everything from the set designs to the sound system proved worthy of even the biggest of shows.

The whole experience reminded me of just how lucky I am to be living in a city like Southampton - one large enough to boast impressive culture like the Mayflower, yet still small enough to navigate through quickly, cheaply and easily.

Few other students will likely find themselves living walking distance from a theatre housing such major productions, and with the slightly smaller, though still thoroughly incredible Nuffield Theatre buried in the heart of Highfield Campus too, it only strengthens the pulling power of Southampton's culture.

As I said at the beginning of this post, learning is just as much about experiencing new things as it is about reading and writing essays, especially when art is concerned. Surely a city that offers this much opportunity to get involved with such experiences, is a city worth learning in?

Southampton, I think I love you. Far less soppy posts next week, I promise.

Ben