Exploring Edinburgh Through Experimental Theater
When students think about BB&N’s global programs, the first thing that comes to mind is study abroad programs, spring break trips, or even the Upper School’s Round Square club. Now, students can add the theater program to their list after the cast and crew of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow sojourned to Edinburgh, Scotland to participate in its world-renowned Fringe Festival.
Born from the plan of director and theater teacher Ross MacDonald back in 2019, this take on the folk tale was written by MacDonald and students Amad Khalid ’26 and Hannah Brodsky ’25. In the words of MacDonald, the script incorporated “music, movement, and multiple performance storytelling styles.”
Originally performed in the Lindberg-Serries Theater in May, the small cast of students displayed a bone-chilling and intimate performance, emulating a ‘black box’ theater experience. A black box set-up includes an audience on three sides of a modest, square stage. At the festival, MacDonald noted that the cast performed “four times over eight days in one of the original venues of the Fringe.”
While the blocking and stage directions were essentially the same across both performance runs, according to Miley Chen ’25, the characterizations for each cast member changed from the BB&N performance in May. It gave Chen, one of the original cast members, a “chance to spend a lot more time working with and thinking about [the] character.” Most characters had different actors between the two runs, and since “everyone plays a character differently, it was cool to see the play acted in two completely different ways.”
Initially, such a new and unique experience was daunting for the cast. Not only were the students in a new country, but an entirely different audience was also viewing the show. According to Chen, “It was much more frightening to perform at the festival than in the Lindberg-Serries theater. Although some parents could come, most of the audience were strangers.” The crowd soon put Chen’s fears to rest after rave reviews from the numerous theatergoers, and from then on out, the whole cast “had a blast.”
When BB&N wasn’t performing, they were experiencing the festival by viewing other genres of productions, stopping to see street artists, and marketing their show. In one instance, the cast took to the streets in full costume, freezing in poses to promote the show, and passersby would stare, point, and take pictures.
Chen fondly remembers one encounter where a “little girl pointed me out to her mother and started timidly approaching me. I dropped the freeze and asked her if she wanted a picture, and I think I made her day.”
The cast’s time in Edinburgh wasn’t all drama and art. The group had a chance to explore nature and history just a few minutes walk from the bustling city. MacDonald and Chen cited a dawn hike up to Arthur’s Seat as a highlight of the trip. In particular, Chen noted that the excursion up the mountain was “a nice chance to relax and process the fast-paced performance days.”
Whether the art was in the streets, on the stage, or in nature, BB&N’s ten days in Scotland were memorable. It may not have been a traditional study abroad experience, but students had the opportunity to learn about different cultures while seeing picturesque sights and architecture. Chen puts it best when encouraging students to explore the globe; “most importantly, it’s a ton of fun!”
