On to the next stage: Old Rochester drama club advances in annual theater competition

MATTAPOISETT — Old Rochester High School’s drama club members have been busy making a scene. That is, they’ve been rehearsing, designing and costuming the scenes of a play they are performing for a state-wide theater competition. 

After an appearance at the preliminary round of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s annual high school drama festival, Old Rochester is advancing to the semi-finals. 

Each year Massachusetts high schools send teams to perform one-act plays at the competition. These shows are strictly timed, with five minutes allotted for stage setup and 40 minutes for the performance.  

This year, the Old Rochester team is performing an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Proposal,” following Ivan Lomov as he attempts to propose to Natalya Stepanovna but gets caught up arguing with her and her mother, Chubukov, about who owns a parcel of land and whose hunting dog is better. 

The cast features Charlotte Cook as Chubukov Stepanovna, Amanda Tomasso as Stepanovna  and Tessa Ripley as Ivan Lomov. While the cast is small, over 20 students make up the crew.

Cook, a senior from Marion, said the cast and crew got to know each other over the past few months through frequent rehearsals and staying in touch outside of school.

As competition grew closer, she said communication between the actors and the crew was essential.

“Once tech (week) started coming, it felt like a big happy family,” Cook said. “It was really a bunch of communicating and working hard to get the show done.”

She said their first day of competition was a fun experience, more than she was even expecting. 

There was a dance party, and the judges performed their own show for the schools in attendance. 

“Although it is competition based, you don't see it as that,” Cook said. You're watching everyone do their own shows, and everyone is just so incredibly talented, and it's amazing to watch.”

Tomasso, who’s also a senior, said participating in the festival has been one of the best things she’s done in high school. 

She agreed their preliminary appearance felt more fun than competitive, and said that performance was their best one yet.

“I like the competition and the community, when you go there, because you see so many different people from other schools,” Tomasso said. “I really enjoy meeting people with the same interest, and then also showing off what we've been working on.”

Along with advancing to the next stage, several Old Rochester students won awards for their work, including nods for acting, stage management, and lighting and sound production. 

Mattapoisett resident Ripley, a junior, said this was her first time competing with her school but has been performing since kindergarten. Her portrayal of Ivan Lomov won her an acting award.

She said her first foray into competitive acting was “really fun, but really nerve wracking.”

“It was such a rewarding experience, because the community is really good, all the theater people were watching and supporting (us),” Ripley said.

She praised the stage crew for their work preparing the set in five minutes and the rest of the students who run the show from behind the scenes.

“Our set always looks outstanding, and I couldn't look like this without my costume people,” she said, sporting a blond bowl cut and tuxedo. “I really couldn't do it without them.”

This is the school’s second year competing in the festival. Director Brayden Fanti joined the school last year, and he said wanted to get students involved in an activity he had participated in when he was a high schooler. 

Fanti said performing the show competitively is challenging for the cast and crew, especially with timing restraints, but is also a chance to strengthen their skills and bond with each other.

“They want to see their show go on so they make sure to really work to make sure everything's going as it should,” he said. “I noticed that when I was a teenager, but even watching them, it's a smaller cast and crew, and they're even closer, because they're all working towards something.”

Vanessa Medeiros, the assistant director, said competing also exposes students to different styles of theater and gives them a chance to see their peers’ art. 

Looking toward the next round, both directors said they are confident the team will perform well.

“We tell them all the time, you win or lose, it doesn't matter, because this is such a wonderful experience to have. So we're kind of already winning,” Medeiros said.