On Monday, the 12th of December 2016 the students of the class Berufsoberschule I Wirtschaft/Technik visited the play ”A Christmas Carol“, by Charles Dickens. The timeless classic was brilliantly brought onto the stage of the Pfalzbau Ludwigshafen by the American Drama Group Europe.
The play, which is set in 19th century London, depicts the epiphany of a grumpy and cold hearted old man. In the face of a confrontation with three spirits who show him his own wrongdoings, he finds out about the true meaning of Christmas and consequently changes from evil into good.
Visiting a theatre play, held in the target langue, poses the unique chance for learners of a foreign language to witness a real life situation in which native speakers communicate authentically. It offers the opportunity to stimulate all kinds of sensory canals, vital to the process of learning a new language. Not only does the audience have the chance to see and hear the performance, it is, at best, also soaked up into the plot. This is a virtue, a movie or an ordinary listening comprehension cannot achieve to the same extent.
For some students it had been the first time to witness a theatre play in English. Fears about the comprehensibility of the performance were soon shattered so that most of the class could really enjoy the experience.
