Using Theatre in China

Episode 124: Using Theatre in China   Nick Cala is a high school teacher in China. He’s putting up a play for the first time with Chinese students who are studying to attend American universities and fully believes in the importance of drama as part of their process. Show Notes * Alice * Drum Taps * Shuddersome: Tales of Poe * Hamlette * Drop Dead Juliet * Other 'Classical Adaptations' at Theatrefolk Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and theatre educators everywhere. I’m Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening. Welcome to Episode 124! You can find any links for this episode at the show notes at theatrefolk.com/124. All righty! So, today, I am talking to a high school teacher in China, Nick Cala. He is in China right now and he is putting up a play for the first time – not at an international school but with Chinese students who are studying to attend American universities – and it just so happens that this first play that he’s doing this with is one of ours. He’s putting up my adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. When I heard this, I was like, “I have to talk to this guy!” Nick really believes in the importance of drama as part of creating that well-rounded student. How does that translate in another country? In another language? Especially in a school where students are very focused, as you’ll hear, on academics. Let’s get to it! LINDSAY: All right. Hello everybody! I am sitting here with Nick Cala. Hello, Nick! NICK: Hello! LINDSAY: Hello! Now, we have the wonders of technology working for us again right now because I am sitting here in my house in the early a.m. in North America. Nick, tell everybody where you are. NICK: I’m in Jiangsu, China – very close to Shanghai – and it’s in the evening here. LINDSAY: You’ve had your day already. NICK: Yes! It’s almost Thursday here. LINDSAY: It’s amazing to me that, well, not only that we’re able to do this but that we found you because you’re doing some Theatrefolk plays. You’re doing Alice, is that right? NICK: Yes! We had auditions and now we’re beginning the process of giving the students the script and kind of getting the students to get a sense of their characters. LINDSAY: And are you at an international school? Are you at a Chinese school? Like, who are your students? NICK: My students are Chinese kids who are planning to go to university in America. This is a kind of private center in a Chinese school built around preparing students to go to university in America. LINDSAY: Wow. That’s very specific, isn’t it? NICK: Yeah, it’s a little different than an international school, and it makes for some unique challenges. I mean, the kids are all coming at things with a very different perspective than American kids. LINDSAY: Yeah, okay. We’re going to get into that in a second. I just wanted to ask you, how did you end up in China?