Looking Back

Term 2 has rolled around and the past weeks have been a whirlwind of various activities on top of academic work. University has given me so much space to discover and explore ideas within a community that cares deeply about the world, which I’m grateful for. The ability to reflect and think critically about the current nature of the world is especially pertinent to me given the recent light of events.

Just last Friday, I got the opportunity to attend a political theatre workshop run by Nasi Voutsas and Bertrand Lesca. Their play, Eurohouse, explores the concept of the European Union: its failures and its successes, the founding ideals and what got lost along the way. The play centers on the debt crisis Greece faced. The workshop was physically intense and I found their process of creating interesting as instead of explicitly talking about the subject matter, they relied on simple scenes that allude to Greece’s position within the European union. As a politics and sociology student, seeing how theatre can be a platform to explore political ideas was intriguing. The workshop was run by a devised theatre society called Codpiece. The performers also kindly offered us discounted tickets to their show later on at night. With some of the other society members, we set out together to Birmingham Repertory Theatre later on at night. The play used comedy carefully to explore the position of Greece within the European union and gave an emotive look at power. It gave the debt crisis a more human face with facts such as fifty-two percent of young Greeks being unemployed amd the dramatic increase of the suicide rate in the last few years. In light of the recent political events, the play was a poignant reminder that Greece continues to be crippled by debt and subjection.

Speaking of going to the theatre, a highlight of Term 1 was definitely going to see The Nutcracker at the Birmingham Hippodrome organized by the university as part of their scholars’ program. It was great to watch ballet and meet other students at the same time.

I’ve also had to explore places further away from the university thanks to the International office at Warwick, which often organizes trips. Towards the end of term 1, I went to Chester. As it was during the period leading up to Christmas, there was a market. The atmosphere was festive, which made the trip even more enjoyable. As the year progresses, I hope it brings new discoveries along with it!

Iffah Azman : 30 Jan 2017 23:35 |  Comments (1) |  Report a problem