Recent Hostos graduate Thalia López,‘19, headed back to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland this summer, where she gained some incredible behind-the-scenes theater experience.
The alumna served as an assistant stage manager for the Hostos Repertory Theater’s performances of “Gender of Attraction” at last summer’s Fringe, which led to a three-week technical internship at the American High School Theatre Festival this year.
López arrived in Edinburgh in late July and interned with the tech team tasked with building Central Auditorium—one of two theaters erected inside a local church for the festival. Although López did not have any previous construction experience, she was excited to roll up her sleeves and help in any way she could. Throughout her internship, López’s tasks varied from building IKEA furniture to maintaining the space, and more. “At one point, I was the IKEA master because I was building stuff the fastest,” she laughed. “It was overall a lot of fun.”
Once completed, the theater hosted 10 high school groups; each group performed four times a week over a two-week period. In that time, López was responsible for managing the body mics for a production of the musical “Urinetown.”
However, it wasn’t all work and no play for López. During her time in Edinburgh, she took in a few shows and visited some local sites, including Arthur’s Seat and the Scott Monument, to name a few.
López is glad to have had the opportunity to participate in the Fringe for a second time, and she would like to return next year. In fact, she and her Hostos Rep troupe mates are planning to attend the Festival Fringe in 2020 to create new memories together. “I believe all of us can do it.” she said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities for a half-century. Since 1968, Hostos has been a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs.
Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.