Say "auf Wiedersehen" to yesterday's cabaret show.
Miami University students of the German 330 theater course will host a German Cabaret at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the Macmillan Hall Great Room.
The cabaret-style production consists of several skits performed and created by the students.
Qinna Shen, visiting assistant professor for the department of German, Russian and East Asian languages (GREAL), took on the role of director for her first time.
"I want the students to be able to learn the language in a fun way and get to perform the language to an audience," Shen said.
She said an audience will experience the German language through a variety of outlets, showcasing the students' talent as well as the beauty of a language.
Christian Robertson, a student of the class, wrote the frame story of the cabaret. Shen said it is a story filled with love, music, drama, comedy and dance.
One student participant, JoAnn Vrabel, said the overall theme could be compared to that of Grease.
She described each skit as incorporating German topics, in an original way, with a twist relative to the '70s musical film.
"The script was a group project, but Christian wrote the love story part of it," Vrabel said. "They're all different skits from different authors, and we brought them together with our own flair."
The idea for this performance is to highlight and feature the work from the course. Because German 330 is a six-week sprint course, the students wouldn't have enough time to prepare for an entire play resulting in the cabaret-style skit show, according to Shen.
She stated some of the skits started at the beginning of the course, but other students had barely three weeks to prepare.
"In the beginning we didn't know what a cabaret would be like," Shen said. "In the end it was a process, so we had to play it by ear as the show progressed."
And as the show progressed, it was clear that their hard work would soon pay off.
"The show is a really funny, witty performance," Vrabel said, "and it's very interactive with the audience. There's singing and dancing and I think everyone would have a really good time, especially German students."
Although the cabaret seemed as if it would fit a small audience, that did not worry Vrabel.
"The amount of PR I've seen for the cabaret should help with the turn-out, but I know a lot of parents and people, even Talawanda students, that are supposed to make an appearance," Vrabel said.
The purpose of the production goes beyond entertainment. Shen said she hopes her students benefit from the production in a unique and powerful way.
"I want the students to grow to love the German language and culture, and convey that passion to audience members," Shen said.
