Eight acting seniors will attend a theater conference in China.
Laura Kariuki, Erika Felix, Mallory Scheidel, Sydney Epstein, Austin Wyatt, Blayne Childers, Blake Sauceda, and Erik Hamilton, acting seniors, will attend the fifth annual World Theatre Education Alliance conference in Beijing, China on Oct. 12-23.
The trip will be paid for by the School of Theatre.
The WTEA, based out of The Central Academy of Drama in China, is comprised of 14 theater schools from 12 different countries.
Lance Marsh, professor of acting and head of performance, said OCU is the first American school to be invited to the conference.
“We were in the position to be invited because of all the incredible work Dean Mark Parker has done connecting us to China,” Marsh said. “The university has been very open to exploring new opportunities like this one.”
Students will attend masterclasses and learn from international instructors. They will also attend performances organized by other schools, and present their own original play, Clowns, Lovers, and Women in Pants.
Epstein said the show consists of various Shakespeare comedy excerpts, with the cast providing commentary between each set.
“The show technically originated with another group of OCU students who went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival over the summer,” Epstein said. “We’re using the same Shakespeare scenes, but changing all of the in-between bits and making them our own.”
Olivia Laskin, acting junior, attended the Fringe Festival and helped to write and develop Clowns, Lovers, and Women in Pants.
“Putting the show together was a great experience,” Laskin said. “The group going to China are an absolutely amazing bunch, and I’m sure they’ll do a fantastic job and help make it an even better piece. It’s very exciting.”
Clowns, Lovers, and Women in Pants will be presented by the students as a Stage II production on Oct. 3-6 in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center.
Staff Writer Erik Hamilton was not involved in the writing or editing of this story.
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