Mercer Island is making an appearance in the largest performance festival in Europe this summer. The Mercer Island Rodeo, a sketch comedy group out of Trinity College in Dublin was selected to perform in the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival during the month of August. The group was founded in 2005 by five students including Brianne Fitzpatrick, a 2005 graduate of MIHS. They have produced several shows at Trinity College’s Players Theatre, won awards at the Irish Student Drama Association two years in a row, and have a residency at the Capital Comedy Club in Templebar (Dublin’s popular entertainment district). Last September they completed their first “American Tour” performing on Mercer Island as a part of the city’s Art Walk program, and at the Historic University Theatre in Seattle’s U-District, sponsored by the acclaimed Jet City Improv comedy company. They will be performing in Edinburgh everyday from Aug. 2 through 26 in the legendary Underbelly theatre district (http://www.underbellyvenues.co.uk/edinburgh/2007/whatson/1181412878). In addition to Fitzpatrick, other founding members of the group include Rob Crowley of Dublin, Dave McEntegart and Paddy McKeating from Northern Ireland, and Dan Herd of London. Brianne was active in drama in Mercer Island school district productions, at Youth Theatre Northwest and Seattle Children’s Theatre, while attending school here on Mercer Island. She is a four-year Theatre Studies major at Trinity.