As a six-time Fringe veteran having premiered some of my plays in Edinburgh and, earlier this year, taken one to the Adelaide Fringe, I've had both good and bad experiences with various venues. Through the years I've crossed paths with the American High School Theatre Festival several times and have always been impressed with the work I've seen there and have only heard good things. I was commissioned by a high school to write "an edgy play" for them to take to the 2015 Fringe (Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry, published by Playscripts) and got to see the organization from the inside. I was so impressed with AHST. The venue was well run, the tech crew was terrific, the dormitory housing was comfortable, with curfews and really good security, and the AHST staff really knew what they were doing. Yes, it's expensive, but having produced plays on my own I appreciate how much AHST has to offer. It's really, really hard to take a show to Edinburgh on your own, very expensive, and difficult to get audiences. The AHST groups all see each other's shows, so you have a built-in audience.
My best advice is to keep your production simple. There were blocks and chairs provided and since all the characters were high school students, we put all the props in backpacks, and pulled out props as needed, enabling us to strike the set by the end of the play. The ten students proclaimed the trip life-changing.
As a professional in the theatre I'm always impressed when I see a resume that lists AHST. I know that the actor has had a very special and collaborative experience. And, as others have mentioned here, even going to the festival without taking a show is magical. I have to warn you, though: once you go to the Edinburgh Fringe you will want to go again.
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Arlene Hutton, playwright
Letters to Sala
I Dream Before I Take the Stand
Kissed the Girls & Made Them Cry
As It Is In Heaven
Susie Sits Shiva (EdTA commission)
According to the Chorus
faculty, The Barrow Group, NYC
arlene@barrowgroup.org------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 04-30-2024 15:20
From: Cherie Firmin
Subject: American High School Theatre Festival to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Hi everyone!
Have any of you ever brought students to the American High School Theatre Festival to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe? What can you tell me about your experience, and how did you find the funds to get there? I'd love to know more!
Thanks for your feedback!
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Cherie Ducote Firmin
Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy
Theatre/Speech/Fine Arts Survey Teacher
La. State Thespian Co-Chapter Director
Cherie.Firmin@gmail.com
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