Peabody Veterans Memorial High School’s Stage One drama club won the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s (METG) state championship for the third year in a row last month.
The group’s more than 60 students performed Lynn Nottage’s “Clyde’s” at the festival, competing against 15 other schools at the John Hancock Building in Boston.
Stage One earned the top prize along with Milton High School’s production of Claire Epstein’s “Too Many Daughters: A Jane Austen Parody” and Stoughton High School’s production of Naomi Iizuka’s “Anon(ymous).”
“We are incredibly proud of the cast and crew of the Stage One Drama Club for winning their third consecutive METG state championship,” Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala told The Daily Item. “Their consistent pursuit of excellence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of this entire group.”
Stage One topped the METG competition in 2024 for their production of Samuel D. Hunter’s “The Whale” and in 2023 for Federico García Lorca’s “Yerma.”
“Clyde’s” follows a truck stop diner run by the eponymous hardheaded owner and her formerly incarcerated employees looking for a second chance by perfecting the craft of sandwich-making.
“I was blown away by the amazing ability and skill. The acting was unbelievable, the stage work, the production, lighting, sound, the scenery was great,” Mayor Ted Bettencourt said. “It was very much adult content, and some of it was difficult, but the performance was just amazing… We have incredible performing arts.”
PVHMS drama director and teacher Stephanie Manning expressed the department’s excitement for the state championship win, and the school celebrated with a final performance Monday night.
“Myself and my producer Richard Carey read ‘Clyde’s’ and fell in love with the piece. We felt it had dynamic characters, important themes, and an incredible amount of heart.” Manning said. “In the past, we have consistently selected works that challenge our students in specific ways. Clyde’s was no different. For example, Clyde’s consisted of a small cast, and required actors to work with food onstage. They were trained in food safety by a culinary manager, and were taught the ins and outs of the kitchen. This was unlike anything we had ever done.”
Students also brought home a slew of individual awards from the weekend’s competition.
These awards included Matheus Muniz for Excellence in Acting for the role of Rafael and Emy Sousa Santos for Excellence in Acting for the role of Leticia.
Technical awards included Kaelyn Veltry for Technical Excellence in Movement Coordination, Cat Quaresma, Livia Gjini, and Syd Topham-Williams for Technical Excellence in Scenic Design, Tempi Reed for Technical Excellence in Culinary Management, Maya Yaffe for Technical Excellence in Lighting Design & Cue Execution, and Patrick Stanton and Sahelys Taveras for Technical Excellence in Sound Design & Cue Execution.
“It was a gift to be honest. Working on it was definitely a tiring process, but to be able to appropriately display these people in such a meaningful way, was indescribably worth it,” Myles Fitzgerald, who played the role of Jason, said. “With how things are today it’s a story I think many could benefit from hearing. To have the opportunity to not only preform it, but bring it to Boston and home again, that’s worth a million rehearsals.”
“This production process taught our students about strength, forgiveness, and beginning again, even when the circumstances seem impossible,” Manning said. “Most importantly, they shared with audiences that everyone deserves a second chance. It was a powerful message that we were proud to share.”
