When many students come to college they are thrust into a strange new world – a “Twilight Zone” inhabited by unique and unfamiliar people. Not everyone has the same ethnic or socioeconomic background or practices the same religion.

That is why the Humanities Troupe – a small, University-funded theatrical group – is setting out on its second year to make students and faculty more aware of the differences that make up the human mosaic of BGSU.

“The Humanities Troupe creates and performs shows to raise social awareness,” said Michael Ellison, faculty adviser for the group. “The goal of the troupe is to use theatrical tools to touch people’s lives and help them appreciate differences in people; to sympathize with and understand other people’s perspectives so that it becomes harder to pass judgment.”

The Humanities Troupe came about last fall through a special initiative by the President’s Cabinet to help raise diversity awareness and get people talking about the social issues that arise from such an eclectic community.

This school year, the troupe has already put on three “diversity training” shows for large groups: one for graduate students, one for campus services and the most recent for undergraduate students.

“We are excited to start off the year with such big performances to get us moving,” said Diane Sullivan, administrative manager for the group and one of the five graduate students that form the core of the troupe.

The group performed Aug. 27 with “The Falcon Zone: The Uncharted Dimension,” a show created specifically for this year’s Fall Welcome as part of the First Year Success Series. The show consisted of four sketches, each addressing various issues such as race, religion, body image, disabilities and sexual orientation.

While the group tackles tough issues, they do so with humor, such as making fun of the “obstacle course” that leads to the disabilities office on the fourth floor of South Hall.

“We deal with heavy material, so [humor] is our way of showing that just because something is hard to deal with it doesn’t have to be boring,” said Sullivan, who directed “The Falcon Zone.”

Humor helps grab hold of the audiences’ attention and makes them more comfortable to talk about the issues at hand, Sullivan added.

While the troupe has fun both on and off stage, they work hard to perpetuate change through their sketches.

The group performs for classes and campus organizations upon request, and, given enough time, can tailor their programs for different groups.

The troupe also writes many of their own scripts, and they hope to continue this trend.

“Our goal for this fall is for all of our shows to be written by the group in order to take them to more places,” Sullivan said.

Besides the scripts, a lot of work goes into every performance.

“The actors put in a lot of time,” Sullivan said.

New member, Gary Washington spends much of his free time going over his lines and working on his acting skills, but he enjoys the opportunity the group gives him to make a difference.

“The Humanities Troupe is a group that is doing shows for all the right reasons,” Washington said. “I encourage everyone to audition and join us in making a change.”

Auditions for the Humanities Troupe will be held in 400 University Hall on Sept. 6, 3-5 p.m. and Sept. 8, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Anyone can audition.

The group will also be holding auditions in October for a new Humanities Troupe class, where students can get credit for being a part of the troupe.

The troupe can be reached by e-mail ([email protected]) or phone (419-372-4866).