Hingham HS Drama Program Advances to State Finals

Being in the drama club is not just an afternoon activity for senior Allie Bearden.   It’s become her life and she loves it.

This past month, the club held auditions after school for their Spring play, Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night."  In addition to that, they outperformed over a hundred high schools throughout Massachusetts to advance to the finals of a state-wide theater competition.

All of these extra curricular activities have been tough to juggle for Bearden, yet this is what she enjoys.

“It’s exciting and overwhelming, but at the same time it’s a blast.” she said. “Right after shows, it’s a huge adrenaline rush and even though it’s nerve racking and very stressful, it’s all worth it.”

As with Bearden, who is the drama club president,  all of her peers enjoy learning  about theater too.

“It’s been awesome,”  said junior drama club member Megan Cashel. “I really love the stress of theater. High school is incredibly tough sometimes but drama has become a huge escape and it has taught me more than any of my classes.”

Drama director Anita Levy-Sisk has been teaching for for 18 years and believes the drama club is the most diverse group of students in the school.  Some members enjoy acting, singing and directing, while others enjoy learning about lights and audio.

“We get a huge variety of kids,” Levy-Sisk said.  "It’s probably the most inclusive group you will ever meet.  They don’t care if you’re a jock or a valedictorian, if you want to be part of our drama group, they will welcome you.”

In March, the drama club tested its skills by competing against 114 other high schools in the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, a three-round, statewide theater festival.  In the competition, each school had 40 minutes to perform one non-musical play and is then critiqued by a panel of three judges. Students  excellence in acting and technical design is recognized at each level. 

“It is the most intense show and my favorite show of the year to direct,” Levy-Sisk said. “The kids and I refer to it as varsity drama.”

Hingham performed a 29-minute piece titled “Wake Up Call” and surpassed the towns of Franklin, Attleboro, Bellingham, Somerville and Taunton in the preliminary round on March 5 at Attleboro High School. On March 19, in the Semi-Finals at Westford Academy, they defeated Andover, Brookline, Ipswich, and Boston College High School.

HIngham is one of 14 schools to advance to the state finals that will be held from March 31- April 2 at John Hancock Hall in Boston.  Only two schools will be chosen at the State Festival  to represent Massachusetts in the New England Drama Festival, the regional showcase of secondary school theater.

“The competitions are one of the greatest things about drama club," said J.T. Tompkins, a sophomore actor who competed with the club. “You go through stages of nervousness, and then after you perform, there is a huge burden off your shoulder.”

In addition to competitions, the drama club performs a musical during the Fall season as well as a non-musical performance during the Spring. Seniors are also given the chance to direct their own shows before they graduate. offers theater classes during the school day and the drama club as an afterschool extra-curricular club.

While Levy-Sisk directs, Brian Faherty, an auto shop teacher at physically builds the sets and Mike Doherty, the high school's art teacher has his  students design the sets.

After a month of competitions and auditions, the drama club will take its annual trip to New York City from April 8-10, where the young actors will get the opportunity to work with Broadway performers.  In Manhattan, the club will watch three Broadway shows and then enroll in multiple workshops with the professional actors.

This year the students will take workshops  on audition and dance and another workshop dedicated to Shakespeare. They will also shop and spend time in China Town and at the Madam Tussaud Wax Museum.

“Hanging out with the high school drama kids is one of the best ways to spend your high school years,” Anita-Sisk said. “Theses kids make such fabulous friends and learn so much about the world through theater.  I loved my experience when I was a kid growing up through theatre, to be able to bring that to kids every day, I have the best job in the world.”

Check out a video of the Drama Club in the Patch this weekend.