Hopkins Drama Students Live Life on the Fringe this Summer

This August, drama instructors Mike Calderone and Hope Hartup traveled abroad with Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) students to Edinburgh, Scotland to attend the Festival Fringe and explore the city and its historical landmarks. 

Rain and shine, the group toured Edinburgh Castle; the village of Linlithgow; the National Museum of Scotland; Craigmillar Castle, the summer home to Mary Queen of Scots; as well as Government buildings old and new, the Holyrood Palace and the Parliament. They also dined in the Grassmarket and shopped at the West End Craft Fair. 

The main attraction was Festival Fringe, a month-long international festival with acts and performances of all kinds, from bands, musicals, acrobats, and even a ceilidh - a Scottish square dance. The group attended multiple theater performances like Stuntman, After the Act, In Loyal Company, and in a great show of Hop/HDA solidarity, attended Hopkins Alum Makaio Toft's ‘21 Midnight Buildings. An Abba-themed Silent Disco was also a part of the festivities. 

To conclude their fantastic, adventure-packed trip, the group went to the Military Tattoo and enjoyed the Scottish Premiership League football match. According to Calderone, the Military Tattoo had wall-to-wall bagpipes, dancers, projections on the castle, fireworks, and of course, some drizzle. The group’s spirit, however, was not dampened throughout this unforgettable trip.