University Park Ensemble to Create CONDOMonium
November 13, 2007
University Park Ensemble, a theater company of talented undergraduates in the School of Theatre, takes the Alumni Hall stage at noon on Nov. 30 to raise awareness for World AIDS Day.
The University Park Ensemble (UPE) will perform “CONDOMonium,” a 20-minute show that combines short comic sketches and serious monologues to create AIDS awareness and promote safer sex practices. The blend of humor with serious subject matter serves to entertain and engage students but also to educate the audience on topics including safe condom use, the option of abstinence, couples’ safer sex negotiations, and HIV issues related to sexual orientation and culture.
The University Park Ensemble, established in 1991, uses theatre rather than conventional learning modes to raise students’ awareness of issues significant to their health and well-being.
“The ‘live’ and communal aspect of theatrical performance enhances the information often delivered in lectures or brochures,” Barry Kur, professor of theatre and UPE’s artistic director, said.
By allowing its actors to write most of the serious material, UPE offers actors a chance incorporate their life experiences into their performances and to present the issues that are most pertinent to Penn State students. The material for “CONDOMonium” is both original and adapted, by permission, from other sources.
In addition to “CONDOMonium,” the company performs a series of other performances throughout the University Park campus, in classrooms, auditoriums, and residence hall lounges. These performances include improvisational, interactive, and scripted material and addresses social, health, and academic issues important to the campus community.
University Park Ensemble also offers a variety of other performances including “Body Loathing/Body Love,”which addresses eating disorders; “The Academic Dishonesty Project,” which discusses academic integrity issues; “The Date,” which focuses on rape prevention; and “Drink Drank Drunk,” which examines issues related to alcohol consumption in the University community.
Contact: Barry Kur, bxk1@psu.edu, 814-863-1453