NSU offering intersession course at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Northeastern State University's Summer 2011 intersession curriculum again will offer students an opportunity to study live-performance plays for class credit at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore.

This years group will see seven plays and will attend four plays by Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, Henry IV Part II, Measure for Measure and Love's Labor Lost. The group will also attend August: Osage County by Oklahoma's Tracy Letts, The Imaginary Invalid by Moliere and To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted from Harper Lee's novel by Christopher Sergel.

Sponsored by the NSU College of Liberal Arts and the Department of Languages and Literature, the trip is May 28-June 4. The trip is guided by Dr. John Mercer, professor of English at NSU-Broken Arrow.

"I love taking students to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival because they become so energized by the whole experience," said Mercer. "They love the spectacular scenery of the Cascade Mountains and Rogue Valley, the innovative professional performances of great plays and their personal interaction with the actors. Even our class discussions are exciting because they are in the context of live performance."

Lauren Callahan, who attended NSU's Oregon Shakespeare trip in 2010 and is assisting in the organization of the 2011 class, said the value of the trip goes far beyond the course credit.

"Experiencing live performances in an Elizabethan-style theater holds a special place in my heart," she said. "The performances of the actors at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival are unmatched."

The course also includes other instructional activities, including the class discussions, backstage tours of the festival's three theaters and two Q&A's with festival actors.

Cost is $1,235 plus tuition. A discount of $55 is available to the first 10 students who make the $225 deposit before Dec. 10 and partial scholarships are available. Enrollment deadline is Jan. 20, 2011.

Students may earn three hours of undergraduate credit in English, humanities or theater, or three hours of graduate credit. Non-students are welcome, but are not eligible for scholarships.

For more information about the trip, course and scholarships, contact Dr. John Mercer at 918-449-6541.