Newsroom – California State University, Northridge

Theater Magic to Cross the International Divide as Teenagers in CSUN Summer Workshop and Seoul Take Part in Cultural Exchange

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Jul. 19th, 2011) ―

The magic of theater will have no boundaries later this month as a group of teenagers taking part in Cal State Northridge’s annual summer drama workshop demonstrate what they’ve learned to a group of high school students in Seoul, South Korea, live via telepresence.

The “cultural exchange” between members of the cast of CSUN’s Teenage Drama Workshop’s production of “The Jungle Book” and members of a summer camp at the Seoul Institute of the Arts will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 29, in the Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall. Nordhoff Hall is located at the southwest corner of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“The students will be able to see the caliber of the performance skills and abilities each group has, and see some of the cultural differences in terms of presence, performance, costumes and so forth. It’s a cultural educational exchange, without the travel,” said Sandra Chong, director of arts education for CSUN’s Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.

The Seoul Institute of the Arts offers a week-long summer camp for teenagers interested in the arts where participants learn traditional Korean dances and music.

Teenage Drama Workshop is an intense, six-week program that immerses about 90 middle and high school students in the day-to-day reality of a professional theatrical troupe—from designing lighting, costumes and sets to learning lines, choreography and writing plays. The teenagers spend their mornings in dance, voice, acting and playwriting classes, and their afternoons in rehearsals.

This year, the troupe is presenting 10 performances of Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” and 10 performances of “The Music Man” and a two-day “10-Minute Play Festival,” which features works written by the teenagers.

TADW executive director Dave Kaback, a CSUN theater professor, called the July 29 event “exciting.”

“CSUN has a long tradition of providing cultural opportunities for people, including young people, in our community. This time, we’re taking it one step further,” he said. “This time, we’re giving the young people in Teenage Drama Workshop an opportunity to take part in a cultural experience with students who are also interested in the arts half a world away without ever having to leave Southern California.”

 

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