Avondale High School students prepare for trip to Edinburgh, Scotland

Students in the Avondale Theatre Company work on building a set that is easy to ship overseas and also to reassemble once the cast arrives for their performance at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Avondale Theatre Company (ATC), Avondale High School's award-winning drama troupe, is bringing their 15-month journey of activities and fundraising to a climax as it puts the final touches on a double-feature of family-friendly one-act plays and prepares to represent the State of Michigan at The American High School Theatre Festival during Edinburgh, Scotland's Fringe Festival in August. 2016 marks the third time the ATC has been selected to be the Great Lakes representative at the festival - Avondale High School is only the third public school in the nation to be chosen at least three times to perform at the event.

Since being selected in April of 2015, the ATC, under the direction of Edmond Guay, Avondale High School teacher and Drama Director for 29 years, has been working vigilantly to raise thousands of dollars to offset the non-travel expenses associated with the trip to Edinburgh. Company members and their families committed to the fundraising efforts, knowing that the experience is the chance of a lifetime for the students to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the most prestigious performing arts groups in the world while performing at the Fringe - the largest such festival on the planet.

"The two previous trips to the Fringe changed my life," said Guay, "as both a teacher and simply as a person. The idea of being able to see parts of the world and interact with so many different types of people in one area turned my whole attitude of post-high school life upside down. The experiences changed my thoughts on how to approach the preparation of a production and the study of the art form in general. I'm happy for another chance to share this experience with a new generation of Avondale students and they have done an incredible job during this past year getting ready for it."

Forty-seven students will make the trip to Scotland with Guay along with twenty chaperones, production assistants and parents to perform the double-feature of one-act plays. The first one-act, Wiley and the Hairy Man by Jack Stokes features the acting talents of Avondale High School students, Meghan Gwilt, Jarrett Buikema, Chris Bush, Brooklynn Allen, Patrick Kelley, Allie Magana, Tess Chargo, Gordy Gwilt, Nick Christy, Yashar Sadaghiyani, Chris Larson, Marshall Brown, Brendan Hart and Zoe Williams. Wiley and the Hairy Man is overseen by 2013 ATC graduate Nick Matejzel.

The second one-act, Captain Louie, showcases student-actors, Alex Haddad, Sarah Monahan, Conor Lovell, Antonio Vettraino, Annie Youngs, Rachel Jones, Jack Youngs, Maggie Youngs, Mackenzie Tillison, Chloe Stark, Daniel Barr, Miranda Miller and Ava Hall. 2015 ATC graduate, Brianna Miller, directs Captain Louie with the help of Antonio Vettraino who is not only in the cast but is also the musical director for the show.

Not to be outdone by their onstage counterparts, the backstage crew has the very challenging task of creating two portable shows that can be shipped overseas and also reassembled in minutes and on demand. The backstage crew consists of Robin Coker, Molly Toger, Lauren McGhee, Geoffrey Steward, Lila Letica, Caitlin Blomberg, Cheyenne Westover, Susan Magana, Josh Miller, Chris Bush, Rafeal Eden, Jake Todd, Elena Semones, Sonja Wagner, Alex Zuehlk, Brooklynn Allen, Ariana Bigelow, Julia Gavulic, Kat VanDeWater, Ricky Hall, Rachel Pastori, Zofia Wagner and Patrick Kelley.

The ATC will be performing both one-act plays FREE OF CHARGE as a "thank you" to the community for their support during the last year. Wiley and Louie will be presented on Thursday and Friday, July 21st and 22nd at 7:35 pm and Saturday, July 23rd at 2:05 pm in the Avondale Performing Arts Center, located inside Avondale High School (2800 Waukegan Street, Auburn Hills). Both one-act plays run approximately 90 minutes in length and will feature a post-show get-together with all members of both casts.