Leeds student takes centre stage as school debuts at Edinburgh Fringe

And leading the cast is one of its former pupils, Gabby Salvin, who is currently training at Leeds Conservatoire.

More than 20 current and former pupils from Ashville in Harrogate are performing at the world's largest arts festival for five days with ‘Beth, an explosive 70-minute rock musical inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth. 

Gaby takes on the title role of ‘Beth, a complex anti-heroine whose ambition and vulnerability sit at the heart of the story.

This year’s Fringe spans 25 days and features more than 55,000 performances of 3,548 different shows in 317 venues. It is surpassed only by the Olympics and the World Cup in terms of global ticketing events.

Written, created and brought to life by Ashville's Performing Arts team, the production follows last summer's ambitious open-air performance in Ashville’s 70-acre campus and marks another significant milestone for Ashville's thriving performing arts programme.

Head of Ashville, Rhiannon Wilkinson, said: "We are incredibly proud of the pupils and staff involved in this production. Taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time is a significant achievement and reflects the creativity, imagination, commitment and ambition of everyone involved.

"'Beth is a bold and innovative production that showcases the breadth of talent within our school community. The pupils have embraced every aspect of the creative process and have worked tirelessly to bring this original interpretation to life.

"The Edinburgh Fringe provides an outstanding platform for young performers and we are excited to see our pupils share their work with audiences from across the world."

For Ashville's performers, the production represents an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of former pupils who have gone on to achieve success across the arts, including former Ashville pupil and Downton Abbey star Jim Carter OBE, after whom the school’s drama studio is named in his honour. As they make their own Fringe debut, the young cast are writing the latest chapter in the school's rich performing arts story.

Ashville’s Director of Performing Arts, Karl Boyd, said: ““The show combines a powerful rock soundtrack, fast-paced choreography and dynamic staging to create a theatrical experience that is both intimate and intense.

“What makes Beth unlike any Fringe offering is its immersive sonic architecture. Using state-of-the-art spatial audio, the entire soundtrack is broadcast directly to each audience member through wireless headphone technology. Audience members will hear every whisper in every corner of Glamis Castle, every slice of the dagger in the Queen’s bedroom, every disembodied cry upon the heath — creating a theatre experience that places viewers directly in the thick of the action. The result is theatre as lived experience: close, immediate, and eerily physical.”

• Ashville pupils will be performing ‘Beth between August 24 and 29 at theSpace@Venue 45. Tickets cost £10 (£8 concessions) and are available through the Edinburgh Fringe box office www.edfringe.com