Attendance of the students of the theatrical performance "The Circle of Lost Poets" at the Bretania theater on April 25, 2024

With reflection, contemplation and a lot of space for discussion, one of the innovative extra-academic actions of the Teaching Practice II course was successfully carried out, where students attended the theatrical performance "The Circle of Lost Poets" together with Dr. Vasiliki Brinia ' at the "Bretania" Theatre.

The show, based on the award-winning 1989 film of the same name, takes place in a fictional high school in the USA in the 1960s. This school has a tradition of top academic achievement, but it has a deeply conservative way of operating, which students are forced to endure, despite the obvious effects it has on their mental health. Everything changes when a new literature teacher, Mr. Keating, a former graduate of the same high school, comes to the school, determined to change the way the students think, to encourage them to break free from the social norms that have been imposed on them by urging them to seize the day! "Carpe Diem!" The rapid change in behavior of the students brings the students into inevitable conflict, with the principal of the school and also the father of a student (Neil) with the teacher as a scapegoat.

The immediacy of the theater's nature combined with excellent acting, portrayed a feast of authentic emotions. Enthusiasm, youthful vibrancy and spontaneity emanated from the students and the teacher, often contrasting sharply with the seriousness, anger and sadness of the headmaster and Neal's father. The conflicts between them and the subsequent tragic consequences of them, left a deeper mark of reflection and disgust on all of us.

After watching the performance, there was an opportunity to reflect on the role that the school and the teaching staff should have, when called upon to operate within a framework of conservative, entrenched notions derived from the prevailing educational culture (in-school or out-of-school). The discussion focused on whether and to what extent the actions of the protagonist professor achieved their ultimate goal. Thus, a commentary was made on the behavior and psyche of the various roles - characters within the work, as well as the influence they received from it.

It is worth noting that by chance, in the same theater, the graduate of the Educational Sciences Program Ms. Ioanna Chavatzoglou from the academic year 2018-2019 attended the performance. Thus, the opportunity was given for a pleasant acquaintance of the new potential graduates, with old students who attended and graduated from the Program, sending the message of continuous satisfaction and love for the Program with the time distance of several years that have settled down the experiences they received from the program.