Their journey started on a rather intimate plane: two seats per row and two rows. Two hours later they took their place in what junior Emma Galitzer described as “the Titanic of planes.” After approximately seven hours on the “posh” and “huge” plane, members of the play “Barnyard” landed in London.

The play, written by Manhattan High School alumna Richard Broadhurst, “explores bullies and bullying, as portrayed by a group of animals.”

“We have been preparing for this since the end of last school year,” Galitzer said.

The end goal for the students was a series of performances in the Fringe Festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Before these performances took place, the cast was able to explore London and Edinburgh.

“We spent four days in London, we toured around, went shopping and saw some shows,” junior Cherokee Hayden said.

“The great thing about London is that you know it’s a big city, but it doesn’t feel like a big city,” Galitzer said. “Everything is so precise from the trains to the plays.”

The students were able to watch Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra in the iconic Globe theatre and also took part in a workshop at the Globe theatre.

“It was amazing,” Galitzer said. “The actress who played Cleopatra was fantastic and it was so good. I’m just really glad that I got to see a performance at the Globe.”

The group also got a good dose of dark British comedy when they attended the play “A Small Family Business.”

“It was absolutely terrifying with some very unexpected events,” Galitzer said. “It was extremely well done, though.”

After four days of exploring London, the cast and crew hopped aboard a train at the renowned King’s Cross Station. The seven-hour train ride landed them in Scotland where they toured Sterling and Edinburgh Castle, walked through the Fringe Festival, climbed to the top of Arthur’s Seat and watched other high schools’ performances.

The attraction most memorable to the group was the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, described as a “music, dance and precision display with the Massed Pipes and Drums, the Bands of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, cultural troupes, singers and the poignant refrain of the Lone Piper against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.”

“It was an amazing showcase of talent from around the world,” junior Evan Heger said.

“It’s indescribable,” Galitzer said. “The Tattoo was any musician’s dream.”

As much fun as the “Barnyard” cast had off the stage, the group had even more during and after their performances.

“Nerves got the best of us during the first performance,” senior Madeline Wilson said.

“We had to change the script in June because some people weren’t able to go on the trip,” Galitzer said. “So we had to start rehearsing a different show.”

The play consisted of nine parts, but was cut to six for the trip.

“The overall message is basically the same, but the changes did affect the character development,” Galitzer said. “The majority of the plot movement was based on two characters.”

After working out the kinks from the first show, the group reports doing really well.

“I believe we have done a good job portraying the show as an effective children’s show,” Heger said.

“To prepare, we would run lines constantly and always remember to have fun,” Wilson said.

The audience’s reactions after the play confirmed the cast’s positivity.

“I had multiple children come up to me and they were all just so excited by the play and my character,” Galitzer said. “It was really amazing and made me feel great.”

By the end of the journey, the thespians never wanted to leave.

“I’ve started using English colloquialisms without even thinking about it,” Galitzer said. “There’s just something about the prominence of theatre here that I really enjoy. I’m seriously considering moving here someday.”