This annual summer intensive attracts acting and drama ākonga from across the world, with the STA providing accommodation and food and covering most of the in-country costs while flights and visas are the responsibility of the students.

For third year tauira Shannon Brill, Kayla Hamilton, Ruby Gilligan, and Caleb Arkwright, classes began after a week of sightseeing, campus tours and acclimatising to the heat of China’s summer. Then it was straight into training in Chinese Opera and viewing opera theatre on and off campus.

“The class was split into male and female and we learnt the basic movement of Chinese opera,” says Shannon, who says that the heat took some time getting use to, but it was an unforgettable experience being immersed in a new culture.

“The customs are a tad strange to us but every day we were there we slowly grew more comfortable with them,” says. “It was an incredible opportunity and experience to gain a new perspective on theatre that we had not been exposed to as actors before.”

The students spent an extra week in China at the completion of the summer intensive to do some sightseeing.

“We travelled to Beijing to see the landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and other small markets, to give us an authentic cultural experience.”

Unitec has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with the Shanghai Theatre Academy dating back almost 20 years and has seen numerous student and staff changes between the institutions.

Shannon, Kayla, Ruby, and Caleb have since rejoined their acting classmates for Semester Two and are looking forward to performing in their end of year graduation theatre projects in November, which brings the curtain down on their three-years of training at Unitec before they head out into the industry as professional actors.