THEATER CLUB GEARS UP FOR COMPETITON

By Theodore MacQuarrie  

This winter, the theater club will compete against other schools in a stage performance that they have personally selected. The competition is run by The Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG).  

  The competition runs throughout the winter with the performances taking place as late as the end of March. They will compete against schools from all over Massachusetts in 40-minute presentations.

“It is such a great opportunity to meet people from other schools who share a common interest with you,” said senior Camille Wayland.

  The piece they have chosen to do is called Don’t You Luv Me, a story about young love, abusive relationships, and friendship. It also explores how people can be drawn into a relationship where their feelings are not reciprocated. They will be performing a home show here at Masco, and then they will go to compete at other shows.

  The overall goal is to win, but the students in the show also have personal goals. The best way to get invested in something is to create a goal in that thing.

  “The overall goal of the competition is to make it to the final round in Boston,” said theater director Brian Pereira. “This is ideal, however, my goal is to give the students a professional experience and have them grow into the actors they want to become.”

  An important part of any performance is the sets. They can bring the production to life and add a new layer to it. 

  “I feel that the set for comp needs to be another character in the show. The set needs to help tell the story,” said Pereira.

  Since they are performing this show in several locations, the sets need to be able to be transported easily, and they need to be able to fit through doors, so unfortunately, they can’t have anything too extravagant, but that doesn’t mean the sets won’t be great.

  “We have multiple days where everyone from the cast and crew comes to build our set basically from scratch.” said Wayland, “It's super fun because everyone really shows up to work together to make the show come to life.”

  With a competition like this, there are bound to be nerves. They may stem from how well the actors will do, or if they might mess up, but these nerves can’t get in the way of the big picture.

  “It is always hard to tell how the show will go this early in the piece, so I am a little nervous about that,” said junior Abigail Ellis, “but I have full confidence in our cast and crew that we will do great and make it back to Boston again, hopefully winning this year.” 

  Sometimes the best part of a competition isn’t winning. It is simply seeing other people do great things and being surrounded by people with similar interests.

  “I am most looking forward to seeing the other shows at the competition. One of the best parts of METG is that everyone watches everyone else's shows,” said Ellis. “We are able to see how other shows interpret different aspects of their script, and it is really fun to watch.”

  With one more show to put together after this one, the folks over at the theater department definitely have their hands full. However, everyone can rest easy knowing that the upcoming shows will be unforgettable.