By Steve Esser
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — Theatre students from Young Harris College had the opportunity to travel to Ontario, Canada, recently to attend the Stratford Festival, a repertory theatre event hosted each year in the city of Stratford.
“The Stratford Festival is an incredible event for theatre students,” said Anne Towns, Associate Professor of Theatre. Towns organized and planned the trip with Dr. Jennifer Schroeder. “They got to see six different plays at the festival, and then we traveled to Toronto to Second City.”
The students saw productions ranging from Macbeth to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels before traveling to see the legendary comedy improvisation at Second City.
The students who traveled to Canada were:
- Avery Lester
- Robert Webb
- Henley Green
- Jordan Sharp
- McCormick Anderson
- Vasia London
- Kristyn Foran
- Katie Strickland
- Nadia Mason
“Canada was absolutely incredible,” said Jordan Sharp, a senior at YHC, majoring in Music. “The shows we saw at the Stratford Theatre Festival were as good or better than anything I’ve seen on Broadway. Toronto was spectacular; I can’t wait to go back one day. I went because I had never been out of the country before this trip, and Canada was definitely a great place to start.”
Stratford operates the annual festival from April to October. It was founded by a local journalist, Tom Patterson, in 1952, and initially focused on the works of Shakespeare. The festival was one of the first arts festivals in Canada and continues to be one of its most prominent.
Trips like this are a great way to expose YHC students to different cultures and countries, lending to the liberal arts focus of the College.
“Our goal at YHC with a liberal arts foundation is to promote intellectual curiosity and a holistic development of the students,” Towns said. “Not only did our students get to travel to Canada, but the festival provided them an opportunity to see theatrical productions in other venues, with actors and directors with a different perspective from their own.”
“The Study Away program is an active one at YHC, with students traveling to various areas of the world every year. While these students were visiting Canada, another group from the Natural Sciences explored Peru,” Schroeder added. “We are so excited to provide students a wide range of opportunities to expand their worldview. I am grateful to the faculty who take on this added responsibility to facilitate such transformative learning opportunities beyond the classroom walls and national borders.”
Schroeder also pointed out that the students on the theatre program appreciated that their trip was made more financially-accessible, thanks to generous donations to Friends of the Arts. Many YHC students who study abroad benefit from similar donations and scholarships provided by alumni and friends of the College.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires, and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has four academic divisions: Fine Arts; Humanities; Mathematics, Science, and Technology; and Professional Studies. Approximately 1,400 students are enrolled in its residential and Early College programs. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the Conference Carolinas. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
