A talented young performer from Cramond is currently making his professional debut in a popular musical at the world’s largest arts festival.
Alistair Robertson has secured a role in a new production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The 21-year-old recently graduated with a diploma in Musical Theatre from The MGA Academy of Performing Arts in Edinburgh and will spend his summer taking to the stage as part of the fun show, which will run at the city’s C Too venue throughout August.
The hilarious off-Broadway musical, which explores the relationships between the quirky tenants of the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in Florida, has been given a new lease of life from Beyond Broadway Productions and the team behind 2015’s standout Fringe hit Zanna, Don’t!
Alistair, a former pupil of Stewart’s Melville College, explained: “The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a very high-octane show featuring lots of country-style music. I am playing a character called Duke who is a young anarchist who is chasing after his ex-girlfriend who has gone on the run. He is the villain of the show and playing him has been great fun.”
Alistair (above) has spent the past four years honing his craft at the renowned Edinburgh institution, which earlier this year became the first full-time professional training academy in Scotland to be awarded accreditation by CDET, the UK’s quality assurance and membership body for the professional dance, drama and musical theatre industries.
He said: “I have had so many great opportunities whilst training at The MGA Academy. I have learnt so much and gained lots of practical experience which I think will help me when it comes to moving to London and auditioning for more professional jobs. Ideally, I’d like to gain employment as a performer in the musical theatre industry but I’d also eventually like to work as a director.”
Andrew Gowland, Director of The Great American Trailer Park and Managing Director of The MGA Academy, said: “Everyone at The MGA Academy is very proud of Alistair and all he has achieved since he started training with us. We are confident that the training he has received here will ensure he goes on to be a great success in the future and we look forward to supporting him during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.”
He continued: “We are currently accepting applications for places on our full-time diploma courses. Our next set of auditions will take place on Sunday 13 August in central Edinburgh and we would welcome applications from anyone with similar aspirations to Alistair. Application forms can be downloaded from our website.”
Recent graduates of The MGA Academy include Disney film star Thomas Doherty (The Lodge, Descendents 2) and West End star Fergal McGoff (Matilda, Mamma Mia and The Bodyguard).
The Great American Trailer Park Musical runs daily as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from Tuesday 3 August to Monday 28 August, 8.40-10.15pm at C Too (St Columba’s by the Castle, Johnston Terrace). Tickets, priced £13.50/£11.50, can be purchased via edfringe.com or via 0131 226 0000.
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