Next month is sure to be a momentous one for several theatre students from Kaiser High School, who will be participating in a world-famous festival on the other side of the world.
The students, under the direction of Wendi Johnson, were nominated and then selected last year by American High School Theatre Festival (AHSTF) as one of the nation’s top theatre programs.
As a result, Kaiser’s Theatre Department was chosen to represent the United States and Canada while performing at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland as part of the 2015 Arts Festival.
Johnson said the students are thrilled to have this opportunity.
"The students will begin their once-in-a-lifetime experience on a tour of London; they will see the famous sites of Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Old Globe, and London Bridge and will see theatre," Johnson said. "They will then travel on train, with other American High School Theatre Festival students, to Edinburgh University, where they will see theatre and prepare to perform 'The Canterbury Tales.'"
During the festival, the entire city becomes a stage, and visitors can view performances everywhere from playgrounds to conference rooms, from city parks to churches. The Fringe Festival includes more than 2,000 different performances of music, theatre, dance and comedy during its three-week run.
A total of 250 schools were nominated nationwide and 35 were selected. Kaiser was chosen after a rigorous application process examining the Theatre Department’s bodies of work, honors, awards, technical ability, community involvement, philosophies, and recommendations. The selection committee included college theatre professors from around the country.
Johnson said the students are ready for their opportunity to shine on an international stage.
The students -- Jared Sandoval (grade 12), Nicole Kearby (12), Sawyer Koenig (12), Adrien Gibson (12) Damaris Martinez (12), Joshua Zepeda (12), Steve Llamas (11), and Stephanie Torres (11) -- will perform Chaucer’s "The Canterbury Tales" (adapted by Lindsey Price) at the Churchill Theatre on Aug. 7, 9, 10, and 11.
"The Canterbury Tales" is a story that follows a group of travelers set for Canterbury on a pilgrimage. To pass the time, they begin to tell stories that include high-paced humor.
Johnson said that over the past 16 months, the Kaiser Theatre Department raised more than $70,000 through both corporate and individual sponsorship and fundraising activities in order to fund the trip to Scotland.
Johnson thanked the many sponsors, including Assemblymember Cheryl Brown, Thompson Building Materials, Hollywood Diner, Rotolo Chevrolet, and individuals from throughout the Inland Empire, including many Kaiser staff members.