The trip was organized by Doug Rankin, an associate professor in the theater department, and Mathias Betyna for the theater students who were in the February production of Bertolt Brecht’s “A Respectable Wedding.” While in Berlin, the group saw the same play performed at the Berliner Ensemble, the theater organized by Brecht. Betyna was to have directed the play at Monmouth, but when he encountered difficulties in obtaining a visa (since 9-11, everything has become harder and slower), theater department lecturer Don Elwell jumped into the gap at the last minute. Betyna met the group in Berlin and took the group to sites associated with Brecht. Three of the students on the trip - Tom Hill, a sophomore from Chicago; Phil Johnson, a freshman from Crystal Lake; and Vicki Kunz, a senior from Lake in the Hills - were involved in the play. Another, David Ehrenhart, a freshman from Springfield, had studied German.

Pictured are the faculty, friends and students who took a trip to Berlin over spring break. The photo is taken in front of the mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace, resting place of Queen Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia. Front row (L-R): Carla Markwart, Marilyn Kloeppel. Second row (L-R) Sandy Wallace, David Ehrenhart, Bill Urban. Third Row (L-R) Bill Wallace, Tom Hill, Vicki Kunz, Dick Kieft. Back Row (L-R) Doug Rankin, Phil Johnson.

“It was a long trip, but once we got there, it was worth every minute,” said Kunz.

Ehrenhart agreed, saying, “The trip gave me a chance to be immersed in the culture of another country and also held special importance to me because of my German ancestry. To have seen a city so full of history and yet so geared toward the future is something that I will never forget. I would recommend that anyone take any chance available to them to travel abroad because I believe that the experience shows how different countries deal with the scars of the past as they prepare for the unknown future.”