Your support of an NIU Crowdfunding initiative will help send students to Turkey to study classical theater!
A learning experience has been developed to use use the study of ancient and modern theatre practices in Turkey as a tool to broaden students’ perspectives on current cultural and artistic practices in a society that historically has always been a melting pot for cultures from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Students will gain fresh perspectives on how deeply rooted these cultural interactions truly are and have been for centuries. No prior theatre experience will be required for this class, other than openness to engage in certain basic aspects of theater as a creative process This project is an exploration of ancient classical theater in several major cities in Turkey.
Students will use Istanbul and Antalya as home bases, but will also travel to certain smaller cities including Dalyan and Greek island Rhodes. From these home bases, students will visit Greek, Byzantine and Roman ancient sites. Students will work on a production of selected Greek or Roman plays or modern adaptations and then rehearse them in Turkey. At the end of the session, the students will perform these productions for a live audience. This study abroad experience will broaden the students’ perspective on the historical underpinnings of modern theater, art, architecture, history, and Turkish culture.
In Antalya, the class will tour ancient sites nearby and attend workshops and performances at the Antalya International Theatre Festival. When the students return home, they will perform the productions at NIU and share their experiences with students.
Students traveling to Turkey will pay for airfare, some meals and entrance fees to museums. The funds raised in this crowdfunding campaign will lessen the burden of the expenses.
