Summit High School Students Perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

SUMMIT, NJ -- They took the show on the road, literally.

During the first week of August, thirty-two Summit High School students staged four sold-out performances of Urinetown, the Musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest performing arts festival.

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Students wowed audiences with their energetic performances of this gritty satire set in a world ravaged by drought where private bathrooms have been outlawed and citizens must pay to use public toilets in the name of water conservation. Theirs was one of over 3,000 productions at Scotland’s Fringe, which draws performers and audiences from all over the globe.

The group’s trip started in London, England, where students participated in an acting workshop at the Globe Theatre facilitated by a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and saw the musical Sister Act in London’s West End. Accompanying the students were Director Anne Poyner, Music Director Mary-Lynn Rhodes, Choreographer Kelly Mott-Sacks, Assistant Principal Elizabeth Aaron and District Arts Supervisor Karen Forgione.  “Our two weeks at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe were truly magical,” said Director Anne Poyner. “It was so thrilling for those of us who love theatre to wander through a beautiful, historic city immersed in a variety of performances from all over the world all day! We all grew so much as artists and as friends during this once-in-a- lifetime adventure.”

Students rehearsed and raised funds for their trip throughout the 2023-2024 school year, raising over $15,000 which not only covered the show’s expenses, but funded tickets to other Fringe Festival performances and excursions throughout London and Scotland, including visits to Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, and the iconic equine sculptures, The Kelpies .

Ben Schachne, a rising SHS senior who performed the role of Bobby Strong, said about his experience in Edinburgh: “It was such an amazing opportunity to be able to not only go to the Fringe and have the honor of performing, but to see all kinds of theatre that you can’t see anywhere else in the world! After working on Urinetown for a year, performing at the Fringe to sold out crowds was a rewarding experience that most people never have the chance to do, and will definitely be an experience I’ll remember forever!” Rising SHS senior Sarah Walsh, who played the role of Penelope Pennywise, enthused that “The Fringe was a great experience. I loved seeing the sights in Edinburgh and going to lots of shows at the festival.”

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