In 2006, West Anchorage High School was nominated to take part in the American High School Theatre Festival. After a lengthy application and selection process, West High was selected to be one of approximately 40 schools in the United States to attend this prestigious festival which takes place at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
In 2007, West took Moby Dick! The Musical to the event. It was met with great success and was reviewed favorably in an Australian independent paper, The Groggy Squirrel. Few performances get reviews, so this was high acclaim for any fringe production, let alone one from an Alaskan high school.
Since then, West High has been selected to perform at the Fringe four separate times. The school has brought additional plays, including Seussical the Musical and a self-written piece called Monster School Goes West.
As well as being the first school in Alaska to attend the American High School Theatre Festival, West has been invited to attend more than any other Alaskan school. While other schools, such as Dimond and South, have now attended the program, they do so because West High paved the way and was able to nominate those schools for future attendance.
Attached are news articles related to West Anchorage High School’s involvement in this international theatre event. West High received a Legislative Citation for Moby Dick! The Musical.
