The Wareham High School Drama Club recently staged a 40-minute performance of “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon.” With their performance, the group was judged a preliminary round winner for the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild Festival at Bourne High School on March 1. (Photo Courtesy Wareham Public Schools)
WAREHAM — Superintendent Matt D’Andrea and Principal Scott Palladino are pleased to share that a group of drama students from Wareham High School staged a 40-minute, laugh-inducing whirlwind of a comedy called “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” as part of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG) Festival.
About 30 students from Wareham High School’s after school drama club, from eighth graders to seniors, made it to the semi-finals in the competitive METG Festival. The competition calls on participating schools to put on a one-act play that runs for less than 40 minutes, judged by a team of METG Adjudicators, leading up to the state finals in late March.
“The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” was a rapid-fire run-through of 206 stories from the famous folklore compiled by the German academics, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, such as “Cinderella” and “Snow White.” And the on-stage performance is conducted by a comically unreliable pair of narrators.
“We got a lot of laughs,” said Wareham High School Drama Director Joey Ferro. “In the show, the narrators have hired actors to play the classic characters. But the actors are very confused because the narrators are so unreliable. They keep changing things up. It’s a very funny and absurdist comedy.”
The Wareham High School performers were finalists of the preliminary round, an all-day event held on March 1 and hosted by Bourne High School. The Wareham Drama Club was one of four teams to advance, out of eight participating schools at the preliminary level, making it to the semifinals held at Brockton High School on March 15.
The Wareham High School team received seven awards for their performance at the preliminary round, including four for acting and three for technical elements. The Wareham team then earned three awards for their performance in the semifinals.
“The great thing about our group is they are incredibly motivated. It was very eye-opening to see what they can come up with and do on a stage with different aspects of theater,” said Wareham High School Drama Director Joey Ferro. “They had an amazing time. I’m very excited about our program.”
Ferro, who is in his first year as director of the drama program, said the school plans to continue its participation in the METG Festival in the years to come.
The METG Festival is a prestigious event that has been around for 93 years. METG also has a middle school division and a musical theater division. Two schools from the METG Festival State Finals move on to represent Massachusetts in the New England Drama Festival, a regional showcase of secondary school theatre. In addition to the annual METG Festival held in March, the organization also facilitates a series of acting and technical theater scholarship contests held in December.
The experience at the METG Festival will provide some momentum for the drama students as they move ahead with the spring season and prepare for a performance of the 2008 musical “Ride the Cyclone: High School Edition.” The presentation will also incorporate music performed by members from the Wareham High School band.
“They’ve really picked up a lot of different acting and singing techniques as we approach our upcoming musical in May,” Director Joey Ferro said. “I love the ability to create a safe space for kids to really express themselves. We’re also trying to do different types of fundraising and public outreach, involving a lot of different aspects of Wareham. This year was about thinking outside of the box. Our kids are very determined, getting our rehearsals down pat.”
The after-school drama club members have also become active supporters of the greater community of school drama clubs, cheering on younger students at the Wareham Middle School performance of “Moana JR,” which took place on March 12 and 13. And the group attended a performance by Middleboro students at Middleboro High School.
““We went and did lots of cheering and high fives to the kids. It’s all about making them feel special,” Director Ferro said. “They put so much hard work into this. It’s also nice to connect with schools in other communities and their drama directors. We want to have a symbiotic outreach, going to each other’s shows. A big part of this is not only giving kids a chance to shine but also letting them see what others can come up with.”
Principal Palladino and Superintendent D’Andrea congratulated the Wareham High School drama performers for their success in the METG Festival and wished them the best on their upcoming productions.
“We are very impressed by the incredible skills and abilities of our stage performers,” Principal Palladino said. “Not only do they possess great individual talents, but they display amazing teamwork. Bravo to our students, and bravo to Director Ferro for the guidance he is providing to this talented group. We look forward to seeing what’s in store with their upcoming productions.”
“I’d like to congratulate all of our stage performers who really put their hearts into these shows,” Superintendent D’Andrea said. “Their passion, talent and skills are an inspiration and a source of joy for so many in our community, including the younger generations of performers. I’d also like to recognize Director Ferro and our other teachers, along with parents and other drama club supporters from the community, who help make all of this possible.”
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The Wareham High School Drama Club won the preliminary round during the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild Festival on March 1. (Photo Courtesy Wareham Public Schools)
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