LYNN — Breed Middle School and Thurgood Marshall Middle School drama students put their acting chops to the test at the annual METG (Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild) Drama Festival, both bringing home silver awards.
Breed Drama Teacher Nick Gould said that this year’s festival was quite special to him, as its the first time the students brought home silver since his tenure at Breed.
“They’re rockstars. They worked so, so hard on this,” Gould said.
The festival included the six middle schools, for an all day dramatic affair, where students can watch the work of others of their own caliber.
Breed presented the comedy My Little Titus Andronicus.
“It’s a comedy mashup of the My Little Pony franchise with the Shakespearian tragedy Titus Andronicus,” Gould said. “We had a plastic sword being clacked onto somebody’s wrist, and we immediately after the clack happens, say, ‘you missed!’”
The show included 20 actors and nine backstage helpers.
“The way the awards work at METG is not like a first, second, third, at least not at the middle school level,” Gould said. “They have a rubric that they grade every show on, and depending on where you fall on that rubric determines whether you get a bronze award, a silver award, or a gold award.”
Gould said the award was a testament to how hard his students worked, and was very proud of them.
“At the end of the day, they’re the ones who are going up there in front of all of these students from all of these other schools, and they’re the ones who have to put in all the work after school and come to rehearsal, and do all the practice and memorize all the lines,” he said.
Marshall took home silver as well, but was not available for comment at this time.
“Congratulations to Mr. Lemar Archer and Thurgood Marshall Middle School drama club,” Patty Klibansky, Lynn Public Schools director of art, theater, and dance said in a press release. “When I saw the performance, I was thrilled.”
