Taking It To the Fringe
BLOOMINGTON HIGH SCHOOL NORTH THEATRE
has been invited to participate in the American High School Theatre Festival at the Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland in August of 2008!!!
What is The Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
The most prestigious arts festival in the world, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival takes place every year for three weeks in August, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 1947, the capitol city of Scotland becomes the largest stage in the world with every theatre, church hall, and sports center playing host to an array of over 1000 performing companies from all over the world. In August of 2008, North Theatre will be representing Bloomington Indiana when they present their production along side these world-wide companies.
What is the AHSTF, and what does it have to do with North Theatre?
The American High School Theatre Festival was created in 1994 to allow American high school students an opportunity to perform in the Edinburgh Theatre Festival. In order for North Theatre to have been selected it first had to have been nominated by a state, regional or national theatre organization. North Theatre was nominated by theatre Professor Charles Railsbach, of Indiana University. Once nomination was received, North Theatre was invited to apply to participate in the festival. The winning applications, which are reviewed by a panel of college theatre professionals from across the country, are identified by their most recent bodies of work, awards, recommendations, community involvement and philosophy of training students for theatre. The excellence of North Theatre, specifically in its philosophy towards training students in theatre was recognized by the AHSTF Board of Advisors, and an invitation to the festival was extended.
What does the trip include? How long do we go? What does it mean to participate in the Festival?
Students who are selected to participate in the festival will leave from Indianapolis for London, England on July 29, 2008. Students will then spend two days sight-seeing in London, attending master classes, and seeing theatre in the West End. Then students will take the train to Edinburgh, where they will stay for 10 days, and be able to see any number of 1800 shows being presented, as well prepare to present four performances of their show at the festival. There will also be guided tours in and around Edinburgh, and admissions to Stirling Castle and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
All arrangements for travel and lodging are coordinated by AHSTF with WorldStrides, the largest, and considered the most reputable student travel organization in the United States. The program includes air travel to London, and Edinburgh, metro bus and tube passes, train transportation, sightseeing excursions, all accommodations, two meals per day, Fringe admissions fees, and fees to historical sights, and West End theatre tickets.
Who will be attending the Festival?
The following North students will be touring in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2008:
Avery Wigglesworth, McCarry Reynolds, Miranda Gregory, Ethan Philbeck,
Sarah Van Tassel, Sophie Krahnke, Chantel Martinez, Joy Msiska, Will Bray,
James Halpin, Sahar Pastel-Daneshgar, Ethan Sallee, Evan Smail, Mattie Theobald,
Maya Fraser, Ben Lumsdaine, Nathaniel Elmer, Philip Lentz, Ethan Sallee, Jordan Howell, Emily Kathman, Jonathan Hunter, Sarah Weber, and Lewis Rogers.
This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for North Theatre. We need your help to make it happen.
The estimated cost per student is $4,600. This amount includes the following: venue set-up and rental charges in Edinburgh; on-site escorts from the American High School Theater Festival throughout the trip; airfare from the U.S. to London and Edinburgh to the U.S.; transportation in and around London and Edinburgh; lodging for 2 nights in London and 10 nights in a University of Edinburgh dormitory and 2 meals per day. Additionally, there will be a few opportunities for cultural and educational tours in both London and Edinburgh.
We are asking students chosen to plan on raising at least $1,000 on their own, but want to cover all expenses for 6 scholarship students. North theatre needs your help!
DOWNLOAD DONATION FORM HERE.
Please send in your donation TODAY. All donations can be made payable to:
BHSN Theatre
Bloomington High School North
3901 Kinser Pike
Bloomington, IN 47404
Memo line: AHSTF
For more information, please contact Theatre Program Director, Francesca Sobrer at
330-7724 ext. 50235
The following is a copy of the letter that we sent out to the general public requesting donations:
Fall 2007
Dear Arts Supporter
In the spring of 2007, 320 American high-school theater programs were invited to apply to the Fringe Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Only 55 have been chosen to perform there the summer of 2008; Bloomington High School North Theatre program was one of those selected!
The Fringe might well be the most prestigious theater festival in the Western world. A group of 24 students and four adult supervisors, including Francesca Sobrer as director of the program, will be traveling to Edinburg and performing at the Fringe between July 29 and August 13, 2008. This is not only a tribute to North Theatre, but as North Theatre is a vibrant part of the Bloomington community theatre scene, it is a unique opportunity for Bloomington theatre in general.
Those familiar with North Theater productions will not be surprised by this recognition. In the past eight years, under the direction of Francesca Sobrer, the North Theater program has established itself as one of the mainstays of the Bloomington theatrical scene with yearly dramas, musicals, community fund-raisers, living statues at the Farmers market, and collaborations producing original works with Indiana University and other Bloomington theatre groups. Performing at the Fringe will highlight the importance of the arts in our town. The students from North will make excellent ambassadors for the city of Bloomington.
For the Fringe, Sobrer has chosen to create an original production. Titled Dust, the production will revolve around the fate of folks displaced from their Oklahoma homes during the tragic times of the dust bowl of the mid nineteen-thirties. The students will collaborate in the writing of the play. The production will also include live music composed for the show by North standout Lewis Rogers with choreography by Diane Buzzell. As part of the production experience, this play will also be performed in Monroe and surrounding counties during the 2007-2008 school-year before the students travel to perform at the Fringe in July.
As you can imagine, the trip to Scotland comes with very large financial demands. We’re attempting to collect $110,000 in gifts and donations. This will allow us to cover all production costs as well as defray costs for some students and provide full scholarships for six of our students participating in the production. Please consider the magnitude of this life-changing learning experience for our young artists by contributing to this fund-raising effort with your tax-deductible donation. A donation card is enclosed with this letter. Your generous contribution will enrich the educational experience of our young writers-actors as well as the artistic atmosphere and reputation of our city of Bloomington.
We hope also that you will be able to attend pre-Scotland performances of Dust on November 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17 at the BHSN Black Box Theatre, 7:30 Curtain.
Thank you for your support. We’ll see you at the show!
Yours truly,
Shelley Sallee Teresa Weber
North Theatre Booster Secretary North Theatre Treasurer
Want to know more about the Fringe? Go to www.edfringe.com