Thursday:

Thursday We had our 3rd Tuna Performance that went fabulously. We had an amazing crowd. We then came back, changed, and ate lunch then departed to go see "Sex lives of Super Heroes" which was very, very funny. We then had dinner and broke into three groups, Some went to see "Every Christmas Story Ever Told, and Then Some" Which i heard was very funny; others went to see "The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets", a improv/ sketch comedy show which was also very very funny. And others just went to the Royal Mile with some parents who were visiting. 

Friday: 

Friday we went out to the Trossachs and Stirling Castle, which was beautiful. We took many pictures. We stopped in a quaint village for lunch, then went on to the amazing castle, stopped in another village to shop around, saw Hammish (the highland cow), and then stopped in one last village. We then took the hour long bus ride home, on which everyone slept. 

That night most went on the "Gallows to Graveyard" Ghost tour. They said it was very fun, some said it was scary, but all had a good time. A few of us (me, Dolan, and Mary) Opted out and went to an improv musical and dinner, which was very funny and good. 

Saturday: 

On Saturday we Went and saw an AHSTF production of Media. It was very intense and well done. We then had lunch at a very good restaurant, then came home and got ready for our last Tuna Performance. Sad day. The show went very well and once again we had a very good crowd. We then came back and got some nasty fast...ish food and ate it at the dorms and just hung out and started packing and such. 

Sunday (Today)

Today some of us got up early and hiked all the way up to the top of Arthur's Seat which was very cool. Then we came back and had a closing ceremony for AHSTF where Sarah Moran and I gave an impromptu speech. We then ate lunch and headed down to the royal mile for the last time. Now we are back and packing and everyone can't wait to get home.... and start school.... 

- Ryan

SUNDAY NIGHT:

Saturday night was the ceilidh dance which was very fun. We learned many old cool dances. But before we decided to split into two groups for dinner. One group walked to indian and another took the bus to The Cellar Door. Both dinner trips had their own dramatic spin. The Indian group got to their restaurant, then after they ordered and waited a while the workers came out and told them they had to go to the store and get the ingredients to make their food.  Finally an hour later they got their food, ate and then arrived at the dance a solid 30 minutes late. The Cellar Door group went and ate with no problem and then left to catch the bus back to the dorms. But, we had to speed walk and as we were walking (not able to find a bus stop) we saw the bus we needed to get on and ended up running a solid 3 blocks beside the bus we were supposed to be on. We were able to get on a totally packed bus and get to the dorm only to realize we had 2 minutes left to get to the dance on time and didn't know where the building was. So we ran around campus and finally found it. 

MONDAY: 

Monday was a show day. We got up, ate breakfast, and went to see "Pandora's Book" a show by another AHSTF group. It was written by their director and it was very clever, cute, and well done. We then came back, ate, and attended "A Piece of My Heart" a show presented by Visitation Academy (another all girls school in St. Louis). It was about Vietnam  and was extremely touching and emotional. Everyone was in tears. We then came back to the dorms and got ready for our first performance of Tuna! It went very smoothly and received great feedback from the audience. 

TUESDAY:

Yesterday we saw "Alice in Wonderland" nice and early at 9 am. It was a different version then you would expect and we weren't great fans of it to be honest. We then walked down to the Royal Mile and had a 15 min. time slot on a small fringe stage. It went very well, but it was hard to hear with all those people. We handed out show info and shopped the rest of the afternoon. It was very fun. Then we came back for dinner and then left to catch the bus for the Tattoo. It was amazing. The lights where amazing and all the bands where outstanding. It was very entertaining. We walked back to the dorms and didn't get back until around midnight.

WEDNESDAY (today) 

This morning we had an early Tuna performance that went well for being so early and having lack of sleep. We're now back and deciding what to do this afternoon. Tonight we're scheduled to go see Cinderella.

We like to walk.... not really.

SATURDAY:

Yesterday was a good day. It was a free day to enjoy the Fringe. The girls did a lot of shopping and then we were given twelve free tickets (we had to buy the other eight) to go see a sketch comedy show in the Underbelly. It was called "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Life (But Never Cared to Ask.)" It was very, very funny. The most popular sketch began with the question, "What is the best sport?" The answer: chess-tennis. It was INTENSE, involving fast paced chess with tennis narration and sound effects. 

We then continued our day by going to the Edinburgh Castle. Very cool, old, and beautiful. We had a fantastic view of the city - ancient gothic spires rose into the misty sky as the Firth of Forth gleamed in the distance (Sarah likes poetry.) We then slowly trekked back down the Royal  Mile, shopping as we went. We stopped in a park to do a quick line-through.  By the way, Scottish playgrounds are infinitely cooler than American ones. No, really. Next, it was back to Pollack Halls for dinner and about half of us turned in for the night.

The rest decided to go to the show "Showstopper! An Improv Musical," which was absolutely brilliant. Our show ended up being "Great Fists of Fire" a show about a dentist and global warming (because obviously Novocain causes climate change).  One memorable number was called (well, I've decided its name; it was, of course, made up on the spot and thus nameless) You're My Girl/Timmy, Timmy. 

They weren't actors; they were geniuses. 

SUNDAY:

Today we had our tech rehearsal, which went very smoothly. We were finished a good half hour before our time was up. We then participated in the kick-off parade for the Fringe. It was MADNESS. It was at least a mile and a half each way. We had to retrace our entire route (mostly uphill) to get back to our dorms. Water has never tasted so good. Later we're going to meet up and get some dinner - Sarah votes Indian - and then tonight is the Ceilidh dance. And then it's off to bed to sleep for our first performance tomorrow! 

- Ryan and Sarah Moran

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

well... sorry for such the late next update but we were so super busy in London!
WEDNESDAY
As soon as we got off the airplain we borded a bus (in the rain... how expected) and took a half day tour of the gorgious city while all of us tried to stay awake. We then checked into Bankside House and met up with all the kind AHSTF people. We ate dinner and retired to our rooms, most falling asleep before 9 that evening.
THURSDAY
The next day we got to choose what we wanted to do in the morning and in the afternoon. Morning choices: half went to Tate Modern, and half went to Harrods. Both groups wished they had more time at their destination. We then met back up at the hotel and walked over to the Globe Theatre for a workshop that proved to be amazing. We first got a (sadly) short tour of the actual theatre and then went into another educational building for our workshop. Personally I know it helped me understand shakespear quite a bit more and i'm sure many of my comrads agree. We then had our afternoon choices: The Eye, or Tower of London. Most chose Tower of London, but myself (it's Ryan btw ;)), Katie McCalla, Sarah Moran and Anna Rayburn decided to do the Eye and boy, did we luck out when we asked the man if we could get on any earlier because our ticket was for so late and he let us go into the express lane! So, we then were able to walk across the bridge and go to the Abby which was absolutely stunning.
That night was Lady In Black. It. Was. Terrifying. But I have never in my life seen such good acting.
FRIDAY (today)
Early wake up call! We had to be up and our bags pack and ready to be loaded on the trucks by 5 am. We then had breakfast, and were shortly off on the train packed full of teenage thespians for 5 hours off to our final destination of Edinburgh! We arrived here around 1 pm their time (it was a 5 hour long train ride) to the sounds of bag pipes looking over the rollin hills. We then borded busses in groups and were off on another half day tour of Edinburgh, this time on foot. We walked the royal mile and got our first taste of the Fringe, and as you can imagine, all of the tuna cast thirst for more. We checked in at the Universty and just had dinner, which was absolutely delicious. Tommorrow we have a free day so I'll try to update what are adventures were then!
Right now I sit in the common area with the chitter chatter of other teens, other languages, the smell of fresh fallen rain on the rolling hills and the faint drone of bagpipes in the backround. I can hardly wait for the next 9 days.
~ Ryan Tucker

Well, Tomorrow's the Big Day!

From Wednesday on we will try to update every day!

So, STAY TUNED!

Margoth's Pre-trip thoughts

Wow, I cant believe its already here! The pre trip stress has set in as my entire house is a jumble of clothes and suitcases. Im half way packed and still trying to figure out if im missing something! I always get super stressed out before a trip but I know its all going to be great once we land in London! I'm super excited for the next two weeks! Thanks to everybody who made this possible!