Beverly Students Take Star Turn At State Drama Festival

BEVERLY, MA — Beverly High School drama students were right on cue at the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild's annual drama festival competition this past weekend as they advanced to the state semifinals while earning several individual all-star recognitions.

The Stage Right Drama Club advanced as one of 112 schools entered in the state competition with its preliminary round being held at Framingham High School. The club advanced to the semifinals this Saturday at North Reading High School hoping to be one of 14 clubs to reach the state finals.

Beverly students performed Medea, written by Nelly E. Cuellar-Garcia and produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. Before the preliminary round the students held a performance for friends, family, and supporters as a fundraising effort accepting donations to help defray some of the costs associated with participating in the competition.

BHS teacher Mary Bigus, who oversees the club and has been involved with the festival for many years, said this year's production by the school received some of the most positive feedback from competition judges that Beverly has received during her tenure.

Several students earned All-Star Awards for their acting or technical design contributions to the performance:

Acting: Brianna Gambill as Medea

Acting as Savage Chorus: Riley Riordan, Annika Barrett, Cadyn Hollingsworth, Sydney Simoes, Audrey Talbot, Grace Odomore, Kaelyn Stout

Music: Jackson Murphy & Mary Demsey

Stage Management: Marika Fields, Sophia Gallo, Norah Jewett

The public can attend the performances at North Reading with tickets available for $15 here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)