TA News

“From the haunting opening music, the chirping of crickets, the green background light silhouetting the reeds and trees, and the illuminated firefly hats of the feu follet, the audience was transported not only to a clearly defined place and time, but a place and time inhabited by magic…The cast presented characterizations that successfully blended the broad strokes expected of a folktale with the subtle nuanced elements of interpersonal relationship.”  – New England Drama Council on Thetford Academy’s May 2nd production of Rue by Mandy Conner

Guest post by Hanae Debo ’24

This past weekend, Thetford Academy’s One Act cast and crew represented Vermont alongside Otter Valley Union High School of Brandon, VT at the New England Drama Festival at Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro, NH. This festival was the cumulative experience for Thetford Academy’s One Act production of Rue by Mandy Conner, a play about 16 year old Josephine (Jo) who struggles with intense anxiety after her parents mysteriously disappear in the Louisiana swamp. 

A common misconception about the New England festival is that it is a competition. In fact, it is not. Before being selected for New England’s, each school must go through multiple rounds of elimination in their respective home states. This festival was a celebration of being amongst some of the best high school actors and technicians from across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, creating a less competitive and more celebratory atmosphere. The festival was an opportunity for students to meet fellow actors and technicians and learn various theater-related skills such as quick costume changes, athletic singing, and stage combat through workshops run by local college students, professors, and professionals. 

Nobody in the cast and crew of Rue had ever been to a New England Drama Festival before, and there were certainly some unexpected aspects of the festival. The size of the host school was shocking to many of us—Kingswood High School has a dedicated arts center with its own building. Being exposed to so many different types of schools—whether it was an all girls Catholic school, a performing arts school, or a school with a humongous theatre—was one of the most valuable takeaways from this festival. Despite the diversity of schools and school cultures represented at the festival, we all still made connections over a shared passion for theater.

As for the eight other plays performed at the festival, “[They] were some of the best pieces of theater I have ever seen in my life. It was amazing to be able to watch them all, and even more amazing to know that we were included along with them!” said Natalie Lewis, senior, who played Miz Creesha and Miss Vickie. On behalf of the entire cast and crew of Rue, it was an honor to have represented Thetford Academy and the state of Vermont at the New England Drama Festival.