LYNN– The Thurgood Marshall Middle School Drama Club hosted “An Evening of Theatre” on Thursday. The club performed 3 different short plays, including The Corpse Bride, Mimes, and Middle School Brain.
Lemar Archer, the theater educator and director at Thurgood Marshall since 2021, has taken his 6-8 grade students on a fulfilling journey of the performing arts. With his mentoring, the students could not only express themselves in front of friends and family but also to people all over Massachusetts.
“The play that we’re going with in May, we’re going to start preparing for that one. This was just to warm them up.” Archer explained.
What are they warming up for? The Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG), of course. It is a non-profit organization/festival that promotes and strengthens the theater arts for middle and high school students.
The students will be returning to the festival to perform their spring musical, having won gold in each of the past two years.
“We have built a strong program here,” Archer stated. “People come to me and tell me that the work that these kids and what I’m doing, the talent that we have here is rich.”
Archer didn’t want to stop at just accolades; this year, he had decided to allow student Jared Phillips to become director, more specifically for The Corpse Bride.
Phillips has been part of the drama club since sixth grade. Now, in his final year of middle school, he has taken on the responsibility of directing the stage. He has worked with Archer the longest, growing from actor to stage manager and finally to director.
“When I’m directing, he has a lot of thoughts,” Archer said. “He has other ideas, and so this year I was like, let’s try something new.”
Like many people, the 13-year-old originally had no idea what he wanted to do once he got to middle school, but he decided to try out the Drama Club.
“I did my first play, and then I went to my first festival, and that’s where I won my first award out of many,” Phillips explained. “And I’d say that was a very accomplished moment for me.”
He continued, “And then this year, I don’t know what award I could get, but it’s just gonna keep me going for sure.”
His directing experience was not just Archer giving him the opportunity, but Phillips actually asking for it. Phillips shared that, unfortunately, the high school he will be attending in the fall didn’t have a drama club.
“So I’m like, let me just go all out my last year,” Phillips said. “And I’m doing it with a whole bunch of people that I enjoy and adore.”
For the first time, Phillips’ hard work was clear as the audience watched his peers on stage. The laughter and grand applause made it all worth it for him.
“When I was in school, I remember what this did for me. I found joy,” Archer expressed. “ I want the students to have the same experience that I had.”
