It was 2:00 a.m. the day before his study abroad application was due that Vincent Ploquin came across an article about Tufts University.
"It fit what I wanted," said the Paris native, "so I had to write about why Tufts was my dream even though I didn't know what Tufts was."
Once Vincent arrived on the Medford/Somerville campus, serendipity struck again - this time at the drama department's ice cream social.
"I went mostly to grab ice cream, to be honest," he said.
Vincent was conversing with another francophone when suddenly senior Alexis King overheard him.
"She is part French and got me to sign up for the HYPE! workshop. I figured that since I have an accent, miming would be a good trade?off," Ploquin said.
Since then, Vincent has "had a wonderful time, full of surprises," he said. One of the biggest surprises: That mimes are very loud, at least during conversations at meetings and rehearsals. The English slang used by the troupe, as well as the Tufts community, has been the biggest linguistic challenge for Ploquin. Still, he cites the friendliness and helpfulness of HYPE! members as one of his favorite things about the troupe.
"When I spoke to President Monaco, he thought I must've mimed at home," Vincent said.
While Vincent will return home to France at the end of the semester, he hopes to start a mime troupe at a Parisian university.
HYPE! is New England's only collegiate mime troupe. This Sunday at 8:00 p.m. in Cohen Auditorium, HYPE! will be performing a new set of skits. Tickets are not required and seating will be handled on a first?come, first?serve basis.
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