This cohort of eight upper-level Spanish students鈥揜aquel Berrocal de Castro, Ally Cisar, Lorenzo Tibolla, Merritt Edwards, Hunter Siegel, Izzy Greenstein, Tobias Coker and Anne Rhodes, all in Professor Pous鈥� class, had spent the previous month immersing themselves in the history and functions of participatory theatre. Also called Forum Theatre, this concept of theatrical performance sprung out of the 鈥淭heatre of the Oppressed鈥� movement in 1970s Brazil (Augusto Boal).

Forum Theatre seeks to bring attention to relevant social issues and themes through a 5-10 minute sketch followed by an open conversation with audience members about what the social conflict represented. Lastly, the audience members are invited onstage, where they have the opportunity to engage directly with the material by replacing an actor of their choice and bringing in a different interpretation/action/solution to any scene they choose. The original and newfound actors then improvise the rest of the scene to flush out different nuances, choices, and directions the play can take.

Pous鈥� students fully wrote and produced two, approximately 10 minute works. 鈥淯na familia perfecta,鈥� or 鈥淎 Perfect Family鈥� focused on conflict and family dynamics after a recent college graduate moved back into her house while 鈥淒inero o moralidad鈥� or 鈥淢oney or Morality鈥� explored questions of morality through a graduating college senior balancing a job offer from the industrial weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Both of these plays were developed to engage the audience with universal situations of conflict and morality so that they could discuss these issues, think about how they would respond, then gain the opportunity to go in and bring their perspectives to the conversation through acting.

The student performers were enthused to bring their course themes of examining the Magical Realist literary movement鈥檚 mixing of reality, imagination, history and magic to the stage.

鈥淔ede鈥檚 class about Magic Realism really ties to participatory theatre,” said Hunter Siegel. “They are both about how people use imagination and theatre, whether through literature, movies, TV, music, or plays to reflect, process, and give commentary on real-world situations that could otherwise be more difficult or painful to face without a creative or imaginative medium. Putting on this play has not only been a lot of fun and a big accomplishment, I am glad to have seen the participants engaging in discussion about useful themes and maybe learning more about themselves in the process.鈥�

The audience members were also enthused to see and participate in this project.

鈥淚 had so much fun attending Teatro Foro,” said Emma Kennedy. “I loved that it was all about controversial topics related to experiences we have as college students. It was easy to understand everything going on and the students were expressive actors! The interactive element was so much fun because it really made me think about the situation and how I might resolve it.鈥�

D铆a de los muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink, and celebration. It is celebrated each year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

On the Day of the Dead, it鈥檚 believed that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance, and play music with their loved ones. In turn, the living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations and leave the deceased鈥檚 favorite foods and other offerings at gravesites or on the ofrendas built in their homes.

The class has been reading the novel by Marie-C茅lie Agnant, “El libro de Emma.” The book is centered around the themes of immigration, racism, and sexism, with the protagonist being a woman from Haiti. For this reason, the ofrenda created by the students was dedicated to all of those who perished on the route from their native country to the US. The altar was adorned with elements that migrants might travel with: water bottles, horchata, lemonade, homemade pastries, and pictures. And it was decorated with traditional elements such as the papel picado, real and paper marigold flowers, and candles. Additionally, the students created pamphlets with statistics about immigration from Central America to give to those who passed by. The central quote of the altar was the following: 鈥淓ste lugar sagrado est谩 dedicado a los que perdieron su vida en el camino por el sue帽o de una vida mejor,鈥� which translated means: 鈥淭his sacred place is dedicated to all who lost their lives in the journey for the dream of a better life.”

The festival in Durham is a two-day event that takes place in the evenings of Nov. 1 and 2. Because of the limited space, the festival isn鈥檛 publicized and is on an invite-only basis. Professor Pous鈥� class participated the first night, and most of the students told me they had聽a blast and learned so much about this particular Mexican tradition. Once at the festival, the students parked in a nearby field and walked through an impressive gateway, symbolizing their entrance into a sacred space. After setting up the altar, a dancing procession of men and women wearing traditional clothing and skeleton face paint聽started blessing each ofrenda, and the聽festival began. Almost every altar had food for everybody, so the students got to enjoy some Mexican delicacies like tamales and also sip on some hot beverages to keep warm. While people went from ofrenda to ofrenda, dance groups from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina performed traditional dances.

All in all, it was a great experience for all the attendees; spirits were high, and the immersion into a different culture really marked the students. This could not have been possible without the leadership of Dr. Pous and the help of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

The second screening followed the LAS festival theme focusing on racial justice and exploring indigenous rights in the Latin American world. The film featured three stories of women fighting for their rights against modern-day post-colonialism.

Maxima Acu帽a from Peru, Berta C谩ceres from Honduras and Carolina de Moura from Brazil speak out against big corporations backed by national governments聽and the price of their 鈥渄evelopments.鈥� In the case of these three women, transnational companies are usurping their land and their highly valuable and profitable raw materials. Following the documentary, These corporations have bulldozed literally and figuratively into Latin America and have been ruining the landscape and the lives of the communities. Activists, alongside many members of these communities, have been bravely standing up for their livelihood, facing threats and assassinations, as in the case of Berta in Honduras, who was killed in 2016 for protecting indigenous rights for environmental justice.. These courageous individuals are persistent and unwavering in their fight against powerful companies and they encourage others to join in on their fight.

After the screening of the film, Dr. Juan Leal Ugalde, assistant professor聽辞蹿听Spanish and Coordinator of Latin American Studies, moderated a Q&A session where the audience commented on the movie. Overall, the film was extremely powerful and moving and highlights the need for change in Latin America before it is too late.

The third and final film of the Latin American Studies Film Festival will be screened at Turner Theater on November 9 at 2:30 p.m. The featured film is 鈥淭he Klezmer Project鈥� or 鈥淒entro de m铆 estoy bailando鈥� by Leandro Koch and Paloma Schachmann. The film focuses on a wedding cameraman and clarinet player who falls in love at a Jewish wedding in Argentina. They then travel together to Eastern Europe in search of lost Klezmer culture after WWII. The movie was released in 2023 and have participated in prestigious international film festivals this year. All are welcome to join us for the viewing.

The LAS film festival is possible thanks to partnerships across 黑料不打烊鈥檚 programs and departments. The festival is presented by Latin American Studies and the Department of World Languages and Cultures, and sponsored by Women鈥檚 Gender and Sexualities Studies, International and Global Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, El Centro, Belk Library, 黑料不打烊docs,聽the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and 黑料不打烊 Core Curriculum.

The panel was composed of four students:

• Ava Crawford, a double major in classical studies and art history with a minor in Italian studies.
• Ren茅e Driver, a double major in classical studies and anthropology.
• Chapin Epps, a double major in classical studies and history.
• Jasper Myers, a classical studies major, minoring in Asian studies and interreligious studies.

When asked about what inspired them to pursue a major in classical studies, all panelists had unique answers based on their interests, but with a common denominator, the professors. All four mentioned the fact that Kristina Meinking, associate professor of classical languages, and Tedd Wimperis, assistant professor of classical languages, played a big role in their decision.

Furthermore, the panelists had similar answers when asked about how their study of the ancient world fit into their 黑料不打烊 career. They talked about their opportunity to have multiple minors and/or a second major alongside classical studies which intersects their interests really well. They emphasized how they were able to mold the major based on their academic preferences and partake in undergraduate research. Along with that, a couple of the panelists shared their study abroad experience and how their interest in the ancient world grew after having the opportunity to visit some historical sites such as Pompeii and Hadrian鈥檚 Wall and realize the true influence and importance of their major.

The event was really well attended, and the vibes were really high. As one of the few non-classical studies people in the room, I have to say that the students and professors were incredibly friendly, and I am not going to lie, it made me regret not taking any courses on the ancient world. It is clear that classical studies is a big enough field that a student can always find avenues to pursue the unique questions, topics, and kinds of evidence that most excite them. The four panelists, with their unique interests and projects, were a good example of that variety and ability to “chart your own course.”

To learn more about classical studies please visit: /u/academics/arts-and-sciences/classical-studies/