This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to Greece, where they were able to explore Greek culture, history and its impact on theatre.
September 4, 2024
This summer, 11 students from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University had an opportunity to travel to the Greek Island of Hydra, where they were able to study, rehearse and present a performance of Burial at Thebes surrounded by the same mountains that informed the ancient playwrights.
The experience was part of the Classical Theatre Study in Greece program, which was designed to allow students to perform and learn in Greece, where Western theatre originated and remains an integral part of modern culture.
“Being able to perform in Greece gives the students an appreciation for the traditions they’re studying and a perspective that goes beyond Netflix and Broadway,” said Oakland University Professor of Theatre Jeremy Barnett.
Barnett accompanied the students on the trip to Greece with Professor of Theatre Lynnae Lehfeldt. They were later joined in Greece by Distinguished Professor of Theatre Karen Sheridan and Professor of Theatre Kerro Knox 3, both of whom retired from OU earlier this year.
“Being able to go away to a place that is far away from what you’re familiar with and simply focus on the work and reflect on it away from everything else is wonderful,” Barnett said. “Being able to travel anywhere is going to expand your understanding and appreciation for what you have and what’s out there.”
During the three-and-a-half-week trip, the students visited the Hydrama Theatre and Arts Center, and the Lazaros Kountouriotis Mansion; took Greek dance classes; went hiking; participated in mask making sessions; attended several “master classes;" and visited a variety of sites in Delphi and Athens, including the Temple of Apollo, the Monastery of Hosios Loukas, the Acropolis of Athens, the National Archeological Museum, and the Odeon of Herod Atticus.
“Our experience in Greece was incomparable to anything I’ve ever experienced,” said OU student Emma Garrett. “For me personally, some of the biggest highlights from the trip were living on the island. The way we were immediately embraced by the town of Vlychos and immersed in the culture was beautiful to me.
“I remember nights with the cast hanging out in the sitting room just talking about life, having Arabella escort us into town to show us the best spots for nightlife, Corinna teaching us all about Greek history — specifically the history of theatre in Greece — and Professors Lehfeldt and Barnett being not only advisors on the trip, but also being there for us,” Garrett added. “I miss it every day and am so grateful to be able to have gone. It really was inspiring to see that there’s more out there than we think.”
In addition to visiting several historic sites in Greece, the students also spent several days rehearsing before performing their version of Burial at Thebes in the island’s outdoor amphitheater.
“Getting to perform Burial at Thebes was incredible,” said OU student Emily Reschke, who performed in the role of Antigone, one of the main characters of the story. “The privilege of not only sharing her story but to perform in the birthplace of theatre was an honor that I’ve never experienced before. There is a part of the play where Antigone is about the be locked away to die and she is lamenting to the gods. I got to look up to the strong mountains and beautiful sky of Hydra and out to the Aegean Sea as I was pleading for mercy from the gods. Being there made my performance as authentic as it could ever be. This was a trip, and an experience, that I will never forget. It has changed me as an artist and a person, and I will cherish it forever.”
The students will also be performing Burial at Thebes for the campus community at 8 p.m. on Sept. 6-8 in the P-29 Parking Structure located on Oakland’s campus on the northeast side of Pawley Hall. Admission is free.
For more information about this and other upcoming performances, visit www.oakland.edu/smtd/performances-and-events.
To learn more about the Classical Theatre Study in Greece program, visit www.oakland.edu/ie/ou-programs/greece.