{"id":53,"date":"2023-11-09T21:35:09","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T21:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre2024\/?page_id=53"},"modified":"2025-01-08T16:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T16:21:02","slug":"immersion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/immersion\/","title":{"rendered":"Immersion and Study Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"home-largefont\">Immersion is\u2026 <\/span> an opportunity for undergraduate students to pursue their passions and interests through experiential learning. The Department of Theatre is an ideal place to plan your Immersion project, with its faculty well-versed in offering hands-on experiences in a variety of performance genres. Each VUT mainstage production, under faculty guidance, can be claimed for the experiential learning component or culminating project. The majority of departmental classes can also be claimed for the experiential learning component. Theatre Immersion opportunities are open to all students, not only theatre majors and minors. Check the <a href=\"https:\/\/amplifyvu.vanderbilt.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Immersion Portal<\/a> for registered opportunities or speak directly with department faculty for more information.<\/p>\n<h2>Production Involvement<\/h2>\n<p>VUTheatre welcomes students to be involved on and off the stage in our four-show production season. Auditions are open to all registered students in the Vanderbilt community and are typically held at the beginning of each semester. Backstage crew opportunities are available for all areas for both creating and running the shows. Information will be posted about crew signups each semester.<\/p>\n<h2>Immersion Projects<\/h2>\n<p>Below are some examples of student Immersion projects advised by theatre faculty:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ilana Cohen and Rhylee Tucker: \u201cStories to Heal, Songs to Mend: A Evening of Sharing,\u201d advised by Christin Essin, associate professor of theatre.<\/li>\n<li>Lindsey Carroll: \u201cAn Actor\u2019s Method,\u201d advised by Leah Lowe, professor of theatre.<\/li>\n<li>Isabel Kinney: \u201cProducing a Small Musical,\u201d advised by Leah Lowe, professor of theatre.<\/li>\n<li>Audrey Molina, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ob7cCBT8YI4\">Towards a Theatrical Ethos in Education<\/a>,\u201d advised by Christin Essin, associate professor of theatre.<\/li>\n<li>Christina Monaco: \u201cCreative Arts Management,\u201d advised by Phillip Franck, professor of theatre.<\/li>\n<li>Demi Washington: \u201cEthnographic Research in Women\u2019s Sports Uniforms,\u201d advised by Christin Essin, associate professor of theatre.<\/li>\n<li>Richard (She) Zhang: \u201cLong Way Home,\u201d advised by Krista Knight, writer-in-residence of cinema and media arts.<\/li>\n<li>Grace Zwemmer: \u201cA Sustainable Art Exhibition,\u201d advised by Leah Lowe, professor of theatre.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Study Abroad<\/h2>\n<p>Vanderbilt has partnered with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iesabroad.org\/programs\/london-theater-studies#academics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">IES London<\/a> to offer a semester-long, study abroad program in Theatre Studies. The program\u2019s emphasis is in London\u2019s contemporary theatre scene, the British theatre industry and theatrical practices, and British theatre history and criticism. See the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanderbilt.edu\/geo\/programs\/?program_id=10092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">IES London information<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanderbilt.edu\/geo\/programs\/?program_id=10092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GEO website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Theatre majors and minors, however, often select a study abroad experience that offers a more interdisciplinary experience and connects with another major. Theatre courses in these various programs can count for department credit toward a major or minor, in consultation with the <a href=\"mailto:elizabeth.c.essin@vanderbilt.edu\">Director of Undergraduate Studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Maymester<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-141\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214749\/Going-to-class-300x208.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"353\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214749\/Going-to-class-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214749\/Going-to-class-1024x711.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214749\/Going-to-class-768x533.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214749\/Going-to-class-1536x1066.png 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214749\/Going-to-class.png 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 353px) 100vw, 353px\" \/>Each year, the Department of Theatre offers a Maymester course for students interested in traveling to London and other cities like Dublin, Glasgow, and Edinburgh to attend theatre and other live events to study the performance culture of the British Isles. Students across Vanderbilt join, but we especially encourage theatre majors and minors to attend.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_205\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-205\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-205 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214735\/lady-pubbing-300x202.png\" alt=\"Three women smiling\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214735\/lady-pubbing-300x202.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214735\/lady-pubbing-1024x690.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214735\/lady-pubbing-768x517.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214735\/lady-pubbing-1536x1034.png 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214735\/lady-pubbing.png 1574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-205\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students Lily Gussis, Sarah Lovett, and Madison Good, abroad during Maymester 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Graduating seniors Will Henke, Lily Gussis, Madison Good, Shea Gordon, Sarah Lovett, and Audrey Molina enrolled in the May 2022 Maymester, led by Essin and Cizmar. In London, they saw new plays at the National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre, many musicals on the West End, and Shakespeare at the Globe and in Stratford at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Examining sports as performance, they attended the FA Women\u2019s Football Championship at Wembley Stadium and a Highland Games Festival in rural Scotland. In Dublin, they danced, sang, and played a tin flute with traditional Irish performers, and in Belfast they visited the peace wall commemorating lives lost during the Troubles. And in Glasgow and Belfast, they enjoyed pub theatre and visited castles to study tourism as performance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s what they had to say about the experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had no idea how much I could see in one trip. Every day we did so much and saw so many things.\u201d &#8211; Lily Gussis<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI couldn\u2019t believe how easy it was for me to feel acclimated! I\u2019d never been to the UK before, in fact I\u2019d never been outside the US before, so I expected to be anxious. But we become so immersed in the culture, and very quickly we were given the tools we needed to adjust. Also, by seeing so much theatre, we were able to learn the culture\u2019s artistic values and feel connected. It was a huge learning experience for me.\u201d &#8211; Sarah Lovett<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved going to the Highland Games so much! It was so fun to be in this rural Scottish location and be with locals coming out to support their culture.\u201d &#8211; Madison Good<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the most memorable experiences from our first stint in London was our trip to the Underbelly Festival in Cavendish Square for <em>La Clique<\/em>, an extravagant and mesmerizing cabaret (or what Essin called a \u201csomewhat naughty burlesque\u201d). &#8211; Audrey Molina<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the shows or the tourist attractions or even the cities themselves that made this trip so meaningful; it was the people. It was the long nights of packing into tiny hotel rooms to play Jackbox games. It was the seemingly endless train rides full of cards and practical jokes for hours on end. It was being with a group of people that, despite only knowing them for a few weeks, felt like a family.\u201d &#8211; Will Henke<\/p>\n<h2>Student Stories<\/h2>\n<h3>Olutobi &#8220;Tobi&#8221; Akisanya<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214731\/Olutobi-Tobi-Akisanya-Dublin.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-227 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214731\/Olutobi-Tobi-Akisanya-Dublin.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214731\/Olutobi-Tobi-Akisanya-Dublin.png 500w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214731\/Olutobi-Tobi-Akisanya-Dublin-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214731\/Olutobi-Tobi-Akisanya-Dublin-108x144.png 108w, https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/11\/08214731\/Olutobi-Tobi-Akisanya-Dublin-142x190.png 142w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><\/a>Trinity College Dublin, Spring 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Greetings from Ireland! Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of studying abroad at Trinity College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. Although Vanderbilt only sent seven students to Trinity this semester, there are many perks to studying abroad with a smaller program. I have been able to travel all over Europe, explore art in a way that has refreshed me beyond belief and make friends that I know will last a lifetime. Though I miss my theater family back at Vanderbilt, my time in Ireland has served as the most beautiful as I work on completing the written component of my senior honors thesis in theater. Though thousands of miles separate me and the beloved Neely Auditorium, I know by fall a new me will be back and ready to learn.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanderbilt.edu\/immersion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Plan Your Immersion Experience<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Immersion is\u2026 an opportunity for undergraduate students to pursue their passions and interests through experiential learning. The Department of Theatre is an ideal place to plan your Immersion project, with its faculty well-versed in offering hands-on experiences in a variety of performance genres. Each VUT mainstage production, under faculty guidance, can be claimed for the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":279,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-headline-img.php","meta":[],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":486,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53\/revisions\/486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/theatre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}