It could be called Scotland’s gargantuan version of Texas’ well-known Austin City Limits Music Festival, which features more than 100 bands during two weekends each year. However, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe includes more than 50,000 performances of approximately 3,800 shows, including theatre, comedy, dance, music and children’s productions, occurring during three weeks each August.
Angela Bacarisse, SFA professor of theatre, has attended the festival five times, three times with SFA student performers in tow.
“Every August, Edinburgh becomes the center of the performance arts universe,” Bacarisse said.
In 1947, Edinburgh leaders decided to prove the arts were not dead in Europe and invited groups from all over the continent to produce their work at an international festival. Eight theatre groups that weren’t invited felt they had been slighted, but showed up anyway and produced their own works.
“Thus began the Festival Fringe, which has become the largest international theatre arts festival in the world,” Bacarisse explained. “It’s a great opportunity for our students to meet other students from across the country and to see working actors. It is a visible demonstration of how it is possible to create a career in the arts.”
Edinburgh’s population of almost 500,000 is said to double each August, with performances staged in all available venues throughout the city, including museums, hotel lobbies, restaurants and churches.
Eighteen SFA students performed “Tales of Neverland,” a story of Peter Pan, which was written by Bacarisse specifically for this festival. For the first time, students from SFA’s dance program were included in the journey, and Heather Samuelson, assistant professor of kinesiology and health science, choreographed the production.
“Once we had a script, we sat down and went line by line, page by page, and talked about the visual image we wanted to create,” Bacarisse explained.
One of the highlights of the show was dancers joining hands to create a virtual ship ferrying several of the cast members.“Heather had the idea to turn our ‘ship’ sideways and have the ‘railings’ kneel. It is exactly why I use collaborators — she took my original idea and made it so much better,” Bacarisse said. “Heather understood what I was trying to express and used her expertise to create something stunningly evocative of a ship.”
Several of the SFA students who participated in the festival had never traveled outside the U.S. or been on a plane. Especially for those students, learning to deal in pounds and pence, rather than dollars and cents, is just one aspect of a truly transformative experience.
“The SFA theatre and dance programs are incubators for many aspiring actors, dancers, playwrights, directors, designers and technicians, and involvement in this festival is an extension of our work,” Bacarisse said. “Our previous Fringe participants have built life plans and careers based on their experiences, pursuing graduate degrees and producing shows of their own. It is something that will stay on their résumés for the rest of their careers — it is that impressive and prestigious in the theatre world to be involved.”
The SFA students performed their play four times, and each performance was attended by families from the local area, even one young audience member who attended dressed in Peter Pan attire. The SFA students also attended the performances showcased by other U.S. universities.
“Being able to perform professionally in another country was an eye-opening experience I would love to have again,” said Brianna Hoelscher, a Corpus Christi dance major who played the role of Wendy. “It was beneficial to watch the other performances. Observation is the second best way to learn and helps you find what you need to work on yourself. It was cool to see what other people are doing and what message they want to get across.”
Approximately 4,500 miles from the SFA campus, the students attended the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo performance and toured the countryside to visit Loch Lomond, a freshwater lake that crosses the Boundary Fault between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands. They explored Stirling Castle, where some buildings date back to the 1400s and where Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was crowned in 1543.
The students held fundraisers to aid in financing their 12-day trip, and additional travel assistance was provided by generous donors to the College of Fine Arts.
“We appreciate these donors and their contributions,” Bacarisse said. “Thanks to their generosity, the students were only responsible for about 70% of the travel expenses. In the future, we would love to reduce that percentage, so that even more SFA students are able to participate.”