The School of Theatre has added Cyprus as a new study abroad location for the summer of 2020.
According to Lance Marsh, head of performance and acting professor, the trip will last about six weeks, with students flying out on June 9 and returning on either July 17 or 18. Anywhere from 10-16 students can go. The trip will cost around $10,000.
Marsh said one of the main reasons the School of Theatre chose Cyprus as a study abroad location was due to the amount of Greek Tragedies the School performs.
“We don’t have currently any partner schools in Greece, but we have a partner school, the University of Nicosia, in Cyprus,” he said.
While there, the students will be housed at the University of Nicosia, earn six hours of OCU credit and go on multiple excursions, including attending the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama.
“There’s some non-academic sites to the trip that I think are selling points,” Marsh said.
The students will also be performing “The Trojan Women” at two amphitheaters in Cyprus: The Ancient Theatre in Kourion and another in Paphos. The School of Theatre is already performing “The Trojan Women” in spring 2020, but the Cyprus performances will be stripped-down and cast with different actors.
“We should have the company chosen right after Thanksgiving, and then I’ll have auditions for the subset of students who are going for roles,” Marsh said.
Lauren Leppke, theatre and performance sophomore, said she thinks the Cyprus trip is really cool.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity for the students, because not only do they get to take a show that they’ve worked on, they get to do it literally where that type of theatre was created,” said Leppke.
Leppke said the trip seems a bit pricy, but she said she believes the opportunities offered through the trip could be worth it.
“Ten thousand dollars sounds like a lot, but depending on what they offer and what is in the trip and if financial aid can help, I feel like it would be okay,” Leppke said.
Laura Kariuki, acting senior, said she supported the School of Theatre study abroad programs.
“If you get the opportunity to study abroad, I one-hundred-percent recommend it,” she said.
Kariuki previously studied abroad in China with the School of Theatre and performed in “Clowns, Lovers, and Women in Pants.”
Marsh also said he wants to give students chances like this to study abroad.
“Every experience you have makes you a richer artist, and experiences like this are like pouring gasoline on the fire of your art,” Marsh said.
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