Postcard for The Crucible, produced at Tshwane University of Technology with guest director Lesley Ferris from OSU.

Performance and Culture in Cuba

In 2004 the Department of Theatre initiated an exchange agreement between the College of the Arts at The Ohio State University and the Faculty of the Arts at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Pretoria, South Africa (http://www.tut.ac.za/tut_web/). TUT is the largest residential higher education institution in South Africa, with more than 51 000 students. It has multiple campuses with the Faculty of Arts at Pretoria.

The first part of the exchange took place in the summer of 2005 when Dan Gray, the Resident Scenic Designer and Associate Professor of Theatre at OSU, went to TUT where he had a two-week design residency. He taught a master class during which time students worked in teams to create preliminary designs for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

A second part of the exchange took place in fall 2005. The Department of Theatre hosted Dr. Allan Munro, Research Professor from TUT. During fall quarter Dr. Munro gave a public lecture on South African theatre, taught a graduate seminar on South African theatre, and an Honor’s course with a similar focus. His presence in the department initiated much interest in the exchange program and the topic of South African theatre. In summer 2006, Lesley Ferris was a guest artist in residence at TUT, where she directed Miller’s play with TUT students. Following this both exchange partners continue to develop ways to further develop exchange opportunities.