Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Fringe story dates back to 1947, when eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to perform at the (then newly formed) Edinburgh International Festival, an initiative created to celebrate and enrich European cultural life in the wake of the Second World War. Today, the Festival features over 50,000 performances of 3,000 shows in 300 venues! The official Program categorizes shows into sections for theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, musicals, opera, and more.

With instructors Ms. Bradac and Ms. Cardenstern, 10 POLAHS Drama performers raised over $50,000 to attend the Festival this year. The group presented their show, “Outside the Box,” in a series of five performances. “I could not be prouder of these students. Getting up on stage and performing is challenging, but being able to do it multiple times in a foreign country is much more challenging and inspiring. These students performed their hearts out every night and supported the other high school students from the United States and Canada,” shared Ms. Bradac.

Click here to watch the student's experience! (video filmed/edited by Elizabeth Hermenegildo, 2nd year Video Production student)

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Why were you interested in attending the Scotland trip? What is your favorite part about Drama class and working in theatre?

I wanted to go to Scotland because I love theatre, and I knew this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. My favorite part about theatre is the storytelling aspect of it; that the actors can bring a story to lifefor the audience. Jackie Dorman

What most made me want to go on the trip was the opportunity to see more of the world with the closest people in my life, and to participate in the world’s biggest theater festival. It’s always a great time when the teacher and students can relate over shows and music. Samantha Wand

How have your Drama teachers supported you? What have you learned from them?

Ms. Bradac, along with Mrs. Cardenstern, made it their mission to make all of our dreams seem possible. They’ve supported us by showing us that with a lot of hard work and drive, we can do anything we set our minds to. Jackie Dorman

My drama teacher, and of course Mrs. Cardenstern, are the only reason we were able to go on the trip. I’ve learned that even in the darkest of times, just the tiniest glimmer of hope can be enough to motivate you to finish the task. Samantha Wand

My teachers have supported me in almost every way imaginable.From helping me improve my acting abilities, to really getting to know me and always trusting that I will be the best I can be in everything, they have always been there. My best days have always been spent because of them, and they help me through my worst. Christine Worthington

Was this your first time out of the country?

This was my first time out of the country, and my first time on a plane! Sarah Stevenson

This was not my first time out of the country, as I've traveled to the Philippines numerous times. I have also visited China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, and more! Christine Worthington

I love theater and I have never traveled without my parents and I've never been out of the country. Charlotte Kane

What surprised you most about Scotland?

Most of the older part of the city is made out of stone, which is extremely beautiful and is what really made me feel like I was in a different country. Amy Radinski

What surprised me the most was how frequently the weather changed. One minute it would be sunny, and the next it would start pouring rain. Jackie Dorman

I was surprised most by the lack of bagpipes. I had the expectation of hearing bagpipes 24/7 and casual men walking everywhere in a kilt with a bagpipe. Samantha Wand

Describe the Fringe Festival and your performance.

Our performances were great, but our show relies heavily on the audience. If the audience isn't feeling our comedic moments it gets awkward. Our first show was great, the audience laughed at everything. It went downhill from there. :) Charlotte Kane

The Fringe festival was incredible. Being able to see all of these amazing shows, like "Buried," a musical about two serial killers falling in love, was a great experience. I made a mistake in our opening scene the first night, but the cast picked it up and covered for me, which is one of the benefits of having such a close-knit cast.

Elizabeth Hermenegildo

The Fringe Festival is the largest art festival in Europe and doesn’t only have theatre performances happening, there’s also art and music all around. It felt like a very small city, but the second the festival started, you could barely walk down the Royal Mile. All of the shows were held at different plazas run by different companies.

Sarah Stevenson

We performed our show, Outside the Box, in a church that had been split into two venues, a large and smaller studio. We had a technical performance and then four performances over the span of four days. Amy Radinski

Tell us about a few of your day trips!

We took public transportation a lot, and one time a couple of us ate ice cream in the rain in front of a castle, which is a sentence I never thought I’d say. Jackie Dorman

Some of our day trips included going to St. Andrews, watching other high school performances, or most tiring and exhilarating of all, going to climb Arthur’s Seat early in the morning. If you ever have the opportunity to go see something in a different country and the only thing holding you back is the time you have to wake up, just do it. It’s completely worth it. Samantha Wand

For one of our day trips we climbed part of Arthur's Seat, the highest mountain in Edinburgh. The view was beautiful and the climb was good exercise for all the cafeteria food I had been eating. Elizabeth Hermenegildo

Did this trip change you in any way?

This trip showed me that anything is possible and that I can take my acting career to as far as I want it to go. This trip helped me believe more in myself. Bryan Castaneda

For me, this trip helped cement that I want to pursue a career in theatre and film production. Being able to see all the performers putting on their different shows and putting on our own show was doing what I love. Elizabeth Hermenegildo

What’s next for you?!

In the future I would like to go to college as a Theater Arts Major and study to become an actor on Broadway, or be able to perform in Musical Theatre. This upcoming school year I will be participating in the POLAHS play, "Comedy of Errors," by William Shakespeare.Along with this I will also be performing in my local theater group’s "Peter Pan.” Charlotte Kane

I graduated POLAHS in June 2018, so I’m currently going to CSULB as a Biology major. I plan on going to medical school to become a Pediatrician. Sarah Stevenson

I attend UCI now, and intend on volunteering with their theater program and working tech like I did at POLAHS. If I’m lucky enough, I can become stage manager again in a year or two. Samantha Wand

My career goal after high school remains becoming a teacher.Seeing Ms. Bradac and Mrs. Cardenstern be so amazing at their jobs, I was inspired even more to follow their example in hopes of someday leaving that same impression on my future students. Christine Worthington

This year I am President of Performing Arts club (meetings Thursday at lunch in Room 210), and I’m set to play Antipholus of Syracuse in this year's “Comedy of Errors.” Elizabeth Hermenegildo

After high school I am planning to go straight into a film school in order to be able to learn more about the industry, and be able to learn new things about becoming a film producer. Bryan Castaneda