Students Grab Top Score at Prestigious Theater Festival in Scotland

After receiving recognition for the 2012 musical production of "The Phantom of the Opera" at Hillsborough High School, the school's theater director B.J. Solomon was informed of another honor the students had earned.

"We were invited to apply for the Edinburgh Fringe," Solomon said, adding, "Not every school can even apply to go."

How special is the honor? Each year, the city of Edinburgh is taken over by theater enthusiasts from around the world, doubling the city's 400,000 population for the month of August, as nearly 20,000 plays, musicals, one-man shows and cirques are presented at the "Fringe Festival"—including 5,000 professional performances, of which about 40 are presented by the American High School Theater Festival.

And this year's lineup included recent HHS graduates Jess Roman and Kate Mochnacz, senior Lauren Wohlmacher and junior Henry Toke.

The four students, and Solomon, traveled to Edinburgh and back between July 30 to Aug. 12, enjoying a side-trip to London on the way before taking in Edinburgh's Royal Mile, filled with performers for the event.

And what does a group of theater enthusiasts have to say about a city filled with like-minded peer?

"It was breathtaking," Mochnacz said.

In between their own sight-seeing and enjoyment of the theatrical offerings, the students had a task ahead of them: to present their original production, "The Mysterical, Disneycal Choose-Your-Own Adventure"— a sort of interactive mash-up of Disney musicals that drew the highest score for the high school performances and three out of five stars by the festival critics.

The students crafted the show to accommodate their small crew as the only ones able to commit to the trip, weaving scenes and songs from the shows they've staged at the high school—but with an added feature that proved popular.

"We had audience members come up on stage and help us," Lauren said. The audience members were used to round out the guests at a tea party or choose what direction the show might take, picking out favorite scenes.

The students did take in lots of other shows—somewhere between 23 and 31—and enjoyed the sights of Scotland and a two-day trip to London that included a tour of the Warner Brothers Studio where the "Harry Potter" movies are filmed—including costumes, set pieces and stages for Hogwart's School.

And while images of breakfast at sunrise atop the 822-foot Arthur's Seat mountain, a comedy show presented in a dungeon, and Stirling Castle  won't soon be forgotten, the students said their favorite memory of the trip is the friendships they made along the way. 

The Hillsborough entourage connected with student groups from Connecticut and Hawaii, with dozens of new Facebook connections.

Solomon said he noted the group developed self-confidence and maturity over the course of the event, and doesn't mind bragging a bit about their achievement.

"When I talk to people about four kids who wrote, produced and staged their own show at the Edinburgh Fringe before even going to college—that's a pretty big deal," he said.