For Immediate Release

Monday, March 19, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Hull High School Drama Students Compete in Theater Festival

HULL — Hull High School drama students put on a timely performance this month as their entry for the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild festival.

On Saturday, March 3, members of the Hull High School Theatre Arts participated in the preliminary round of the festival, performing Douglas Craven’s “Lockdown.”

The show takes place at a high school that is in lockdown mode. Students congregate in a dark room and are unaware if what is happening in the building is a drill or a real emergency situation. When the teacher leaves to run after a panic-stricken student, the rest of the group is left to determine if they should stay or run. 

Each year, the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild puts on a festival for high school students to showcase their acting and musical talents. This year, 112 schools from throughout the state competed. Winners from each performance site move on to the semifinals and a final competition determines two state winners that then represent Massachusetts in the New England Drama Festival.

Senior Melaney Jenkins, who served as the student director, chose “Lockdown” due to the relevant message, and appointed junior Sarah Ashley to be the student producer.

“Unfortunately, this piece, although fictional, illustrates a situation that so many students have been faced with recently,” Jenkins said. “I’m really proud of everything we’ve accomplished and it was a great opportunity to lead my peers through this experience.”

Jenkins and Ashley held auditions in September and recruited a production team comprised entirely of students. Senior Chris Rivieccio managed set design while junior Marcus Kurciviez handled lighting. Junior Olivia Whitman and Rebecca Rosenbaum, a sophomore, coordinated costumes for the cast.

Students first performed the piece for their peers and faculty members before competing at the festival. Audiences were riveted by the acting, and Riviccieo and Whitman received awards for excellence in acting at the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild festival.

As part of the competition, each school gives out a student recognition award to another participating school. Dover Sherborn High School presented Hull High School with the recognition award for working with a relevant topic that kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the performance.

Although Hull did not move on to the next round, HHS Director of Theater Arts Jim Sullivan is extremely proud of students’ work.

“In only our second year of entering the festival we have gone from just putting in an entry to producing an award-winning show,” Sullivan said. “We were the only school to be student led and produced, which allowed kids to further develop their leadership and problem solving skills.”

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