REPORT FROM EDINBURGH

AUGUST 4, 2013

Greetings  from sunny (really!), beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland!  It’s the end of Day 1 of the “Fam Trip” – for directors who have been invited to present work at the American High School Theatre Festival at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival in August 2014!  Each year the festival offers a “sneak preview” of the festival experience for the next year’s directors – this week I’ll get a chance to see some festival shows, talk with festival tech support staff, experience the Festival Fringe in all it’s glory – and most importantly, network with theatre directors from across the US and Canada who are here for festival this year and will be presenting work next year along with us!

All of the traveling directors met in Newark and traveled to Edinburgh on an overnight flight.  If you’ve never traveled by plane to Europe – don’t expect to sleep much, and prepare the for the shortest night of your life!  It felt like as soon as the dinner plates were taken up, the sun was rising  (and it was beautiful!) and breakfast was being served.  We landed at 7:30 am Scotland time (which felt like 2:30 am to me and anyone else on east coast time!

sunrise over the East Atlantic

Beautiful start to the adventure

We were met at the airport by AHSTF staff along with Davina, our charming and VERY knowledgeable local tour guide (you will probably meet her next year – she seems to be a festival regular!)  On our trip into and around town she regaled us (in her absolutely beautiful Scottish accent) with stories and advice about the town, its history and how to get around.  Our morning included a stop at a beautiful local country club for tea and scones (Scotland is of course renowned for its golf courses!

Nice place for tea

No, no one went golfing

 

Bagpipers are everywhere

Buildings along the Royal Mile

Davina has all the answers

Our tour took us past the Edinburgh castle, home of the world famous Military Tatoo, and to Holyrood Palace, original home of Mary Queen of Scots and now  the Queen’s Scotland palace (sorry, she wasn’t home today).  We caught a glimpse of Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, which stretches between these two landmarks and is the home of the street performers at Festival (closeup photos of the mayhem to come later in the week!)

We ended our tour at the University of Edinburgh’s Pollack Halls, which will be the home base for us (and all the groups) next year.  The University sits just south of the Royal Mile (about 1 km), in the shadow of a spectacular mountain peak called Arthur’s Peak (with any luck, you might have a view of the Peak outside your dorm window!  The university itself is very attractive but cozy – with a central building straight out of Harry Potter! (You’ll be able to visit the café where JK Rowling did much of her early writing – it’s very close to the castle).  Even at this time of year it stays light quite late – it’s about 9:00 as I’m typing this and there’s still plenty of good light in the sky!

Turner Hall, one of the dorms

Your possible dorm window view

Hogwarts?

9:00 and all is well

The dorm rooms themselves are definitely a cut above.  Each of you will have a  comfortable single room with sink – there are bathrooms and showers on each floor.

Home away from home

Private and comfortable

Next time I’ll tell you about the Church Hill Theatre, the main venue for the AHSTF performances, and I’ll get up in the middle of the Royal Mile craziness!