UGA Cortona - Theater Maymester

Theater courses taught by Professor Ray Paolino; Actor, Director and Teacher, courses will cover an overview of comedy in the classic Italian style (Commedia Dell’Arte), rehearsal and performance techniques of comedy applied to a Shakespearean script and several public performances. In addition, students will experience Italian art and culture with overnight trips to Rome and Florence as well as field trips to a professional Italian theatre performance and a Tuscan winery.

The setting for the University of Georgia's Cortona Studies Abroad Program is the small, quiet, walled hilltown of Cortona, Italy. Centrally located within the Tuscany region on the crest of Mont S. Egidio overlooking the vast Val di Chiana, Cortona is surrounded by beautiful olive groves, vineyards, rich valley farmland and immense history.

The town of Cortona is a veritable museum that offers the student a rich artistic and historical environment that reveals itself through fine examples of Etruscan, Roman, Romanesque, and Renaissance art and architecture. Since 1970, the small community of Cortona and the University have shared a mutual tradition of goodwill and respect where the local government and citizens provide generous support and encouragement to the Studies Abroad Program and its students.

In this idyllic environment, the UGA Cortona - Italy Studies Abroad Program provides a challenging opportunity for the serious student who wishes to combine international travel with an intensive period of classroom work while merging with the lifestyle and culture of a typical Italian community. Students live in a newly renovated 15th century monastery that provides premium studio spaces and living quarters with historic surroundings. 
 

Program Director and Course Leaders

Ray Paolino - Theater Instructor
Chris Robinson - Program Director
Kristine Schramer - Associate Director 
Enza Valente - Office Manager, Cortona
Mary VanNus - Administrative Specialist
Sydney Nettles-Coates - Administrative Associate 

Academic Program

THEA 5335/7335: Shakespeare Practicum - 3 credit hours
THEA 5590/7560: Projects in Drama - 3 credit hours
 

2016 Program Dates

May 11th, 2016 - All participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from Italy. In order to arrive in Rome on May 12 for the beginning of the program, this is the last possible day to depart the United States for Rome. 

May 12th, 2016 - Official start of the program

June 4th, 2016 - Official end of the program

 

Housing and Meals

Breakfast:
A continental breakfast is served every morning at the Kehoe Building. Continental breakfast consists of bread, jam, fruit juice and coffee or tea. Students who want or need additional food for breakfast may buy groceries and keep them in the student refrigerator.

Lunches: 
Lunch while in Cortona and on field trips will be on your own. In Cortona, there are many options for an inexpensive quick lunch at local grocery stores and bars, as well as numerous full-service restaurants. For lunch, sandwiches are available at most bars and grocery stores in town. A "toast" in Italy is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and most bars will offer other choices as well. Any of the grocery stores in town will prepare a sandwich made to your specifications or you can buy your own fruit, cheese and bread. The range of restaurants in Cortona varies from first-class full menu restaurants to more inexpensive places where you can order a pizza or a plate of pasta.If you would like to go to a full-service restaurant for lunch, the prices will generally be higher and you will pay for service. A cover charge is automatically added to your bill and you are also expected to tip your waiter. Sitting down in a restaurant means possible waiting times, as food in Italy is cooked only after you order it. In Cortona, smaller family-run restaurants are usually fairly inexpensive and provide an opportunity to make friends with the Cortonese.

Dinners:
Evening meals are shared as a group 3 nights a week during the Spring and Fall semesters and 5 nights a week (Monday-Friday) during Maymester and Summer semesters. Spring and Fall students will also receive a voucher 1 night a week, redeemable from one of many restaurant options in Cortona (conditions/terms apply). When taken with the group, meals are typical Tuscan fare prepared and served at Tonino's Ristorante, one of the most well-known and respected restaurants in the region. The University of Georgia group gathers for dinner at 7:30 pm. The dining room seats approximately 100 people and is serviced by the professional staff of Tonino’s. The restaurant has a balcony with a bar on the upper level providing a spectacular view of the Val di Chiana and is a relaxing place for a before or after dinner coffee or aperitif. Students are responsible for their weekend dinners and can choose to prepare their meals or eat at one of the many restaurants in Cortona. Dinner at Tonino's consists of three courses: the first course (primo piatto) is usually pasta or rice, the second course (secondo piatto) is usually meat or fish and a selection of salad or vegetables, and dessert (dolce) is usually fruit or cake or pastry. A different second course is served to those who are vegetarians.

Program Costs

The basic cost of the program is estimated at $2,979. Tuition and fees is not included in this cost. See bursar.uga.edu for tuition rates.  The cost of the program includes:

• Application fee (due at time of application) - refunded if you are not accepted, applied towards total program cost if you are accepted
• International Health Insurance (UGA requirement)
• Charter bus transportation on any planned field trips
• Charter bus transportation from beginning cities to Cortona, and from Cortona to program ending city
• Shared hotel accommodations which traveling and dorm in Cortona
• Breakfast and dinner while traveling with the program group 
• Dinner 5 days a week while in Cortona
• Breakfast 7 days a week while in Cortona
• Program t-shirt

Students who are not residents of Georgia or do not attend a University System of Georgia University or College pay an additional $250.00.  

Accommodation Statement

UGA education abroad programs strive to provide reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Areas of disability include, but are not limited to visual, hearing, learning, psychological, medical, and mobility impairments. If you receive disability-related accommodations at UGA or at your home university, or if you anticipate needing accommodations at your overseas site, you will arrange for them with your study abroad program director and the staff in the Disability Resource Center. Examples of accommodations include note taking assistance, extended test time, a quiet testing location, alternative text/media, and accessible housing. Please provide information about your accommodation needs at least 4 weeks prior to departure in order to allow time to arrange for accommodations. Students are asked to disclose disability-related needs prior to the start of the program to help ensure that there are no delays in accommodations and that the student can enjoy the full study abroad experience.