Romanian Cultural Exchange

In March of 2019, five students and I travelled to Cluj, Romania to conduct a cultural exchange between our schools. This project was entirely created by students. We rehearsed for six weeks before leaving for Cluj on March 6th. Led by William Cowser, another student in the SUU Theatre Program, we traveled to our sister school, Babeș-Bolyai University, to perform Arthur Miller's The Last Yankee. The play was performed to a sold out crowd in the University's Black Box theatre. It was absolutely astonishing to see so many people come to support the project. Most of which did not speak the language of the play but were still engaged. This experience was proof that language is not a boundary of theatre.

Aside from the performance, we attended classes with the graduating students at the University. First observing a class and then the next day they prepared a Commedia dell'arte workshop for us to take part in. We also socialized with many of the students in the class by going to bars, local sights, and shops. The friendships we formed were intense. So much love came from both sides. Art and Theatre connected us instantly. They will always have a place in my heart.   

 

We did this experience to exchange ideas of theatre between our two universities. We were able to see two plays performed by the graduating class, take classes and in return performed a play for their students. But most of our exchange took place outside the theatre. As we relaxed, shared stories of our lives and spoke truths, I knew this was going to be something I was never going to forget. Vă iubim 💙💛❤️