Fuel Victoria's Theatre Research in Europe

Hello! My name is Victoria, and I am an MFA candidate at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. This summer, I will be traveling to Scotland and Ireland to attend some of the world's largest theatre festivals as research for my university and master's thesis.

While abroad, I will attend four theatre festivals that feature thousands of performances for diverse audiences. These include the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Festival, and the Galway International and Fringe Festivals. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest of these, is a leading event in the performing arts world, making it an ideal setting for my research. My thesis will compare, and contrast curated versus open-platform live performances and examine their resilience amid socio-economic changes. Additionally, I will travel throughout Scotland and Ireland to deepen my understanding of each country's commitment to the arts and their unique histories.

Beyond my thesis, my research will be used for a second project that will give back to the UNCSA community. My project aims to create a detailed log of my experiences, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each festival and documenting how each country’s landscape and history influence its performing arts. By sharing pictures, videos, and writings from my travels, I hope to show my peers how their contributions to the arts can fit into the global context and to introduce them to international opportunities in our industry.

This trip means the absolute world to me. I have spent a majority of my life devoted to the arts and to be able to immerse myself into my research on such a large scale is a dream come true. I have spent hours creating the perfect itinerary to get the absolute most out of every moment I will have abroad in the hopes that I will come back a better artist.

Any funds donated will be used to procure tickets for the curated festivals and local theaters, support the artists at their fringe performances, entry to museums or historical sites, and for travel throughout and between each country.