Abstract
I direct two programs at my university, set in Oxford and London. While there are multiple issues impacting study abroad in the university system, the one I find most relevant crosses with my situation as a theatre professor: how do we build new audiences from within this current student population? To do so will require research, commitment, and innovation – but linking “cultural tourism” programming and study abroad programming is a significant start. The programs I direct move students outside a four-walled classroom by making the site they are in their cultural classroom. Acknowledging that students studying abroad are tourists. Discussing what that means creates a basis for conscious acquisition of experience. In this paper, I share the ways in which I have used cultural and heritage tourism as education/entertainment. My goal is to build knowing spectators who return to cities, sites, and cultures to continue learning and experiencing art, history, science, and of course theatre. We must redefine how we structure these programs, how we communicate to potential audiences, and how we innovate and combine tourism and teaching into “edutainment.” With help from tourism experts, faculty and universities can create innovative programming that embraces tourism as a valuable intercultural practice.
Presenters
Gretchen SmithHead, Theatre Studies and Associate Dean, Meadows School of Arts, Southern Methodist University, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Critical Issues in Tourism and Leisure Studies
KEYWORDS
CULTURAL TOURISM, HERITAGE TOURISM, STUDY ABROAD, SPECTATORS, INNOVATION, COMMUNICATION, EDUTAINMENT
