Thursday, December 13, 2007

Performing Arts Interim

I know everyone has been waiting anxiously for my first post on the theatre blog...well, maybe anxious is the wrong word. But nevertheless, here it is. So, as my first post on the blog I thought I might discuss the upcoming Performing Arts Interim that I will be participating in this coming January.

This is the first time, that I know of, that an Interim class has specifically focused on performing arts while also studying abroad at the same time. Along with four other students from the Theatre Department, two students from the Music Department and a faculty member of the Music Department, I will be traveling to the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Arezzo is a medieval town in central Italy southeast of Florence. We will be staying in the Villa Godiola, a 16th century palace that overlooks the hills of Tuscany...sounds terrible doesn't it? We will be there for two and a half weeks studying Basic Italian Language, Alexander Technique, Philosophy of Art and Performance, Stage Movement, and optional Voice Coaching. All of these classes are designed to specifically help the actor develop advanced stage performance skills. I'm assuming that we will be "learning by doing" when it comes to most of these classes...afterall, Theatre is a "doing" profession. While we are there, we will also take day trips to Florence and Rome to visit museums and theaters and hopefully put the Italian we are learning to good use.

I am incredibly excited about this trip. I have never been out of the country before, so that should prove to be very interesting. I am also excited because I think it will be fascinating to experience theatre somewhere that is so completely different than Birmingham. This trip will allow us to delve into Italian theatre and culture in a way that could never be done by studying it in a book here at BSC. If this trip goes well, I am almost sure that they will continue to do this every Interim. So, cross your fingers all you potential BSC Theatre students and hope that you will be able to experience this yourself when you get here.

I hope to post updates about what we are doing while we are in Italy. If I can, I'll try to upload some pictures. Don't count on this though...I'm not very good with computers - haha. That's all for now. Hopefully, my next post will come from Arezzo. Until then, I bid thee farewell. Matt A.

Here's the link to the Accademia dell'Arte. Check it out!!!
http://www.dell-arte.org