M-E Rocked at Dramafest

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On February 29, the MERHS Drama Company performed their preliminary-winning one-act performance, entitled "The Losers Club," by Jonathan Turner Smith at the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guilds’ (METG) 89th DramaFest competition against 7 other schools at Andover High.  The cast, which includes an all student tech crew and is made up of mostly lower classmen, including only one junior and one senior, has been busy tightening and polishing up the roughly 36 minute "drama/comedy" as they prepare for the next round of competition, the semi-finals, hosted at Framingham High School on Saturday, March 14.

Three of the 18 cast members won additional "outstanding achievement" awards for their superb acting abilities in the preliminary round.  Senior Kiely Mcgroder won the award for her performance as Jennifer, a girl with a hearing disability; sophomore Emmet Sheahan for his performance as Joe, the star quarterback and a bully; and freshman Wyeth Takayesu for his role as Pooh, a Shakespeare wielding liaison between the bullies and the misfits.

The play is set in current times and takes place in an abandoned science classroom, in which a tight knit group of high school students, all a bit 'different' in their own, special way, form 'The Losers Club' after being repeatedly bullied for most of their high school experience.  They decide to kidnap their bullies and hold them on trial for a "series of crimes committed against their fellow students."  The students have taken typical stereotypes and have molded them into incredibly authentic and sensitive roles, some with major disabilities, like Luther, played by sophomore Chris Siems, who has Cerebral Palsy and is bound to a wheelchair or tomboy Lizzie, played by sophomore Lucia Wendell, who delivers a tear jerking monologue about how she wishes she were beautiful like the brutal Homecoming Queen and bully, Tawny, played by sophomore Gelsey Mccue.  This all comes together to drive home the true meaning of "what it means to be a 'winner'."  The ending is wholesome, eye opening and touching

Tickets for the semi-finals are $15 and admits entrance into all 6 DramaFest shows.  The performances begin at 9:30 a.m. and the last performance ends at about 4 p.m.  Further information is available on the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s website.

merhs drama company, massachusetts educational theater guild, losers club