Theatre Guild Ready For METG Festival

From top left: Tatiana Hill, Shandi Austin, Ryan Mott,  Angelica Pacombe, Taylor Vernava, Sean Vo, Michael Belmonte, Morgan Foster, Ryan Struzziery From bottom left: Kimberlie Jean-Poix, Sophie McLellan, Jurnee Dunn, Neleh Dunn.          photo by Mrs. Dunn

Sophie McLellan, Veritas Editor-in-Chief

February 19, 2017

Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” and this has never been more true for Rockland High School’s drama troupe as it tirelessly prepares for what some may call the Super Bowl for theatre geeks.

On March 4, our thespians will be heading off to the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild Festival (METG), a one-act play competition in which around 112 schools compete. Their play, a murder mystery, is called “Room 404.”

Not only do the participants get to perform and witness a day filled with the performing arts, but they also make friendships that last a lifetime, learn incredible new things about their craft, and create memories they’ll never forget.

“Festival is a great opportunity for our drama guild to go out and see other schools perform,” said senior Michael Belmonte, who is playing a leading role in the production. “We get to showcase what we can do as well. Festival is about celebrating theatre, competing, and having fun with people that share the same passion as you.”

For the past three years, the drama troupe has come heartbreakingly close to moving to the next leg of competition. Held back by a lack of budget to pay for sets, the group last year came closer than Rockland ever has. The talent has been undeniable.

This time, the cast and crew of “Room 404” are feeling confident as the big day draws closer.

“The show is coming along fantastic! We still have a lot of work to be done such as memorizing lines and working with sets,” said Belmonte last week.

He added, “The lead up to the very last week of rehearsals is always stressful. However, I’m extremely confident that by March the cast and crew will be more ready than we have been in past years.”

This year’s show is student written, student directed and put together completely by students. “Room 404” is a murder mystery that takes place in the 1950s. It is the story of a beautiful Hollywood star killed in her hotel room, and of the secrets that are revealed about her and everyone around her afterwards. It deals with a number of mature topics, and a large amount of red dyed corn syrup.

Morgan Foster, the soundboard technician, is particularly excited about the way the production is coming together and can’t wait until the big day. “Festival means the world to me. It’s a time when I can let my inner theatre nerd out.”

The cast and crew have put in a great deal of time and effort to make this happen.

“The cast are amazing, hard-working, and talented individuals,” said Belmonte. “Every single person on the cast is dedicated to moving on to the next round. More importantly though, each cast member’s first priority is to entertain.”

Be sure to mark March 4 on your calendar and support the RHS Theatre Guild when they head off to Norwood High School for the preliminary round of the competition.