University Theatre students attend Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland
November 27, 2023
Eight students from YSU University Theatre attended the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in August 2023 as part of a new study-abroad course created by lecturer Adam Howard and co-led by associate professor Katherine Garlick. The Fringe is the largest arts and theatre festival in the world and is vital for the creation of all varieties of new theatre and performance.
Over the span of 12 days, students attended the festival as part of the new pilot program “Student Participants,” which is led by the festival’s organizer, the Edinburgh Fringe Society. Traditionally, access to any educational benefits of the festival was limited only to those performing in shows. As part of the new pilot program, YSU’s students were given special access to areas typically reserved for artists only, including workshops, professional development sessions, and talkbacks. University Theatre was the largest student group in attendance in the program.
At the beginning of the fall 2023 semester, the Edinburgh Fringe Society joined University Theatre through a Zoom meeting to watch students from the program give reflection presentations on their experiences at the festival. The organization has requested copies of the students’ material to show the Fringe managers how long-reaching the benefits of the new pilot program are.
Because of the new study-abroad course, all students who went to Edinburgh acquired new perspectives on theatre as an art form, an industry, a force for change, and as a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary career path.
In 2024, any students enrolled in the course will be provided with a new opportunity. The creators of the Off-Broadway musical “Here There Be Dragons” will be partnering with University Theatre to debut their musical at the Fringe. YSU students will perform this new musical at the festival next year and be part of its international premiere, gaining vital training and professional experience before graduation. This performance will also bring international attention to YSU University Theatre.