How To Do The Dots On List

New! A Conversation with Tara and Martina

Martin and Tara

The Theater Project Adventure diversity "is composed of a diverse mix of participants. We Tara Merkelbach and Martina Boatti.


Tara Merkelbach is 15 years old and lives in Mainhardt. She plays harp, sings in the choir and loves to read "everything" - just a thriller by Donna Leon. Tara laugh when she tells as it appears as a small child and a friend thought up pieces for fun and before their "poor parents" performed. In sixth grade she was in a "Dracula play" with, it was one of many vampires. Since last year, she is in her high school theater group.

The 18-year-old Martina Boatti comes from Alessandria, Italy. The exchange student lives for one school year in Künzelsau. You hear a lot of rock music, "such B. Led Zeppelin, Guns & Roses, Queen, Red Hot Chili Pepper "and enjoys going to the concert. For fun, she plays guitar. She is also keen on sports and plays volleyball, basketball and rugby.

experiences with diversity

Tara define diversity as openness to new experiences and the willingness of new know many people. Her family has enriched her young life already with many experiences with diversity. She is half-Greek, was born in Switzerland and spent her first four years of life between Switzerland, Germany and America. In Germany alone, she moved with her family as early as seven times. In addition to Roma were with her other "host sisters" from France and India at home. The experience and time with them, she found rewarding and funny, especially to learn how they grew up and see how they experience the German school. "They were even open, and their willingness to try something new made it easy for me to do something with them. There was a mutual effort. "Sure," Tara admits a "after a time, especially if you are very close together, there are moments where it is annoying and exhausting, but it passes quickly." Through their many moves she has learned to deal better with diversity, as it always opens with an alien or "the New" was.

for Martin, diversity is the willingness to "try something new to look for something new." Their current experience as an exchange student is a "really big adventure" in diversity ". This is something different as a holiday This is a school year in another country, with a host family in a German school." She is an only child and her seven-member family now she is learning as it is, many (guest) to have siblings, share her things and her time with them. Because they start their stay is not good German language, they were often excluded or passive in discussions. Her it was important to understand what it was and to express their opinions- German so she studied diligently and asking questions. This experience has made her realize that "one needs the other, you can not do everything alone. As a foreigner you have to trust the people accept it-is-dependent and have to say what the other". Despite this challenge she finds it very important to make such an experience and to gain new skills and friends.

saw the theater project adventure diversity

Tara a poster on the theater project "adventure diversity" in a cinema and Haller decided to participate. She came on the first day and found it's funny, the fun they drove to stay with it. Your enthusiasm about the project also convinced their former host sister Roma from El Salvador and her friend Jula to join.

"I have never done such a thing," says Martina. Through the exchange organization AFS Intercultural she met Kamila. Kamila told her about the theater project and came up with Martina because she wanted to try something new and thought it might help her to better express. She was also curious, "I wanted to know if I have a creative side." Although she writes for her school newspaper, and sometimes Italian short stories but not designated as "art".

Tara finds the theater project and the group great. She found the exercises great, getting to know how to practice better to get different things-for example, the concentration and to suppress the laughter. It tells of an exercise to set up in a funny and strange as possible grimace them in order to "pass". From each imitating one should not laugh, of course. "I really had a lot of fun and hope that our group meets to continue this project."

The theater project Martina is great because it encourages creativity. She finds it great to know different characters, imitate, and analyze. Particularly interesting was the exercise where they had to express with your body, the four elements water, wind, fire and earth. She is very satisfied with their experience in project "One learns more than just a piece to play. You learn to improvise, with the body to express something." Martina likes the theater games and improvisation. She wants to work in Italy to continue if possible, so to focus on their creativity.

Tara at the dress rehearsal for the performance on 1 February 2010

Martina at the character exercise

Tara and Martina in the development of the "elevator scene"

photos and text: Patricia Masibay