ArtEZ

Starting from 2018, the SRC has started an intercultural exchange program with acting schools abroad. Responsible for international relations for the school is Laura Aimone, Head of the Film Delegations Office of the Venice Film Festival and collaborator of some of the main institutions linked to cinema worldwide including the Berlinale, the Edinburgh Film Festival, the Doha Film Institute and the Giffoni Film Festival.

The exchange proposal made by the SRC was welcomed with great enthusiasm by ArtEZ, one of the most important Universities of the Arts in the Netherlands, and in particular by its “Theatre in Education” section located in Zwolle. Six Calabrian students, the Director of the SRC and the Head of International Relations went to Zwolle from 11 to 18 June 2018. Six students from Zwolle, the director of ArtEZ and the head of the ArtEZ exchange went to Calabria from 21 September to 1 October 2018.

This first exchange aimed to immerse the students in a different study context for a few days, helping them to experience firsthand another approach to the art of acting, through a cultural exchange that starts from everyday life. The Italian students, in fact, lived together with the Dutch students, went to lessons with them and participated in various cultural activities organized by the school itself.

The same happened for Dutch students in Calabria. It is a full immersion in a diverse artistic environment that inspires them to create collaboratively, with the ultimate goal of producing a short performance that brings together the interactions between the two cultures.

The collaboration between the two entities SRC and ArtEZ, in the wake of the great success of the first experience, continued with great momentum. Every year 10/12 students have the opportunity to live a splendid 7/10 day experience: a week of lessons and 1/2 weekends dedicated to cultural activities and tourist visits. The costs are limited to travel expenses, food and accommodation are offered by the host students.

The exchange program offered by the SRC is entirely focused on "Magna Graecia". The roots are rooted in the historical heritage of Calabria, colonized by the Greeks starting from the 8th century BC, in a route, built by the SRC, capable of offering a very engaging experience that starts from the territory and its past, passes through the verses of the local writers of the time and glimpses the cultural heritage handed down to the present day. The program is a mix of visits to natural beauties mostly known only to locals ("Ulivarella" beach, view of Palmi and the Strait from Monte Sant'Elia, Villa Leonida Repaci with its breathtaking garden on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean), historical monuments (Reggio Calabria and its Riace bronzes, the “Grecanica” area where Greek is still spoken, Locri with its archaeological site, Gerace) and iconic landmarks of Calabria such as Scilla and Tropea.

Stimulated by all these places, the students attend an engaging seminar that brings them closer to writers of Magna Graecia, such as Stesicoro of Metauro and Nosside of Locri, and to mythological milestones such as Scylla and the children of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polynices (on the hypothesis made by Prof. D. Castrizio regarding the Riace Bronzes). Much of the seminar takes place in direct contact with nature. Its aim is to prepare monologues starting from ancient verses and Greek mythology, closely linked to the areas visited, transposing them to everyday emotions and relationships thanks to the inspiration born during site visits, on-site lessons and improvisation. In addition to this engaging seminar, foreign students regularly attend morning classes together with all other SRC students.