Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield was runner-up in the Class B finals of the Maine Drama Festival held Friday and Saturday and will go on to compete at the New England Drama Festival in April in Connecticut because the winner, Lisbon High School, opted not to.
MCI performed “These Shining Lives” at George W. Stearns High School in Millinocket, competing against nine other high schools, including Winslow High School. The MCI play is based on a true story about four women who work in a watch factory in Illinois in the 1920s and face danger and suffer illness with no concern from company officials.
“We were very surprised and pleased — very happy,” MCI drama coach Debra Susi said Monday of being named runner-up. “There’s a ton of great talent, and easily any of the top shows could have gone. The talented schools were all just about the same level. Our students said the same thing.”
MCI was one of four central Maine schools that competed Friday and Saturday in the state contests with the Class A finals held at Camden Hills High School. The winner in Class A was Oceanside High School and Falmouth High School was the runner-up. Oceanside also decided not to proceed to the New England Drama Festival and Falmouth will represent Class A at the New Englands to be held April 21-23 at Old Saybrook High School in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Class B schools also will perform at Old Saybrook.
Susi said parents of MCI students plan to head up a fundraising effort now to help raise the $4,000-$5,000 it will cost for the large cast and crew of about 35 to go to the New England Drama Festival and pay for travel, housing and food. She said bottle drives and spaghetti dinners will likely be part of the fundraising activities.
“I’m just thrilled that our students are going to get a chance to experience this at another level — at a new England level,” Susi said.
A judges commendation was given to MCI students Bailey Huff, Kristen Shute, Aspen Bryson, Riley Trafton and Elspeth Taylor for outstanding costume, hair and makeup design. Cast members Mikayla Carr and Miranda Torres took All Festival Cast awards for their portrayals of Catherine Donohue and Charlotte, respectively.
The play also won an award for art set, which consisted of a clockwork design created by the cast, the MCI tech theater class and senior Shamira Tanguay, who plans to attend Maine College of Art in Portland in the fall. Susi said she tries to include other parts of the school involved in theater, as it extends far beyond the stage. She said that in the absence of a formal performance space at MCI, she and assistant director John Buys held rehearsals for the one-act play contest in her classroom, in the gymnasium and any other place that could accommodate the cast and crew. All three top-placing schools in the Class B finals, including Oceanside and Lee Academy, which placed third, do not have formal performance spaces, she said. MCI recognizes the need for such a space, but it is just a matter of money to fund one, according to Susi.
A highlight of the state drama fest was when a reporter for a regional newspaper in Millinocket approached Susi and Buys to say the playwright of “These Shining Lives,” Melanie Marnich, is his cousin. He told them that when he saw the program early on at the festival and found that MCI was going to perform Marnich’s play, he contacted her to tell her her play would be performed in Millinocket. Susi and Buys invited the reporter to visit with the cast and crew and he told them Marnich was on the West Coast writing for HBO. The students were fascinated by the coincidence.
“It was just such a small world,” Susi said Monday.
She said the students had a great experience at the festival, sponsored by the Maine Drama Council and Maine Principals’ Association.
“There were wonderful, just incredible shows presented at the state level, and I just completely get blown away by the talent that we have,” Susi said. “It’s just simply amazing.”
Winslow, which placed eighth in the Class B finals, performed “Tribunal” by Alan Haehnel and directed by Jenn McCowan. Students Cassie Thompson, Wyatt Hughes, Adrienne Lakey and Cameron Fredette took All Festival Cast awards. The judges gave a commendation to Winslow students Anna Pellerin and Michael Bryan for excellence in lighting, as well as a commendation to the cast for ensemble acting.
In the Class A finals at Camden Hills, Lawrence High School placed third of eight schools for its performance of “Excerpts from the Laramie Project,” written by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project and directed by Kailey Smith. A judges commendation was given to Jada Boggs for set and mixed media and All Festival Cast awards were given to Boggs, as well as Campbell Gibson, Cody Short and Cassidi Poulin.
Waterville Senior High School placed sixth in the Class A finals for its performance of “The Game’s Afoot” written by Ken Ludwig and directed by Gayle Giguere. The judges gave a commendation to the cast and crew for the “dead body schtick” and All Festival Cast awards were given to Hannah Comfort, Ty Lecrone and Jonathan Thompson.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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