SHS Drama Club Earns Three Awards at METG High School Drama Festival
Junior Isabella Rios earns Excellence in Acting honor; Junior Kira Bester cited for Technical Excellence in Costume Design
SALEM (Mar. 31, 2025) – Juniors Isabella Rios and Kira Bester each won individual honors to highlight the Salem High School Drama Club’s performance of the original play, “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing,” at the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG) High School Drama Festival preliminary round Saturday, Mar. 1 at Saugus High School.
The one-act play depicts three sisters who travel the world, seeking adventure, only to meet twenty years later in the place it all began.
Ms. Rios, who began production as an understudy, earned an Excellence in Acting award for her performance as Albienne while Ms. Bester was cited for Technical Excellence in Costume Design.
“I was so proud of Isabella, who took home a performance award for her portrayal of Albienne, the eldest sister,” said Theater Director Leah Hamilton French. “Isabella stepped into this role as a last minute understudy just two weeks before the competition, learning an immense amount of lines in a very short amount of time. Her willingness to step up truly exemplifies the adage ‘the show must go on.’
“I have worked with Kira for the past three years on Drama Club productions, and have watched her work her creative magic on scenic painting and design and props,” Ms. Hamilton French added. “This was the first year she designed costumes and she really knocked it out of the park. Her designs really helped to bring the world of the show alive, and I could not be more proud.”
Additionally, the SHS Drama Club received awards for Technical Excellence for its design and use of shadow puppets and projections, which were hand-drawn by junior Gemma Murphy. The play’s props were created by freshmen Maya Nathanson-Flowers and Julianna Riccio-Baez.
“Gemma’s hand drawn shadow puppets and projections, which helped us win a technical excellence award for props, exquisitely situated audience members in each new location, and added to the magic of our show,” Ms. Hamilton French said.
The Festival included seven one-act plays from drama clubs from SHS, Boston Latin, North Reading, Swampscott, The Clark School, Manchester-Essex and host Saugus H.S. North Reading (“Cyrano de Bergerac”), Swampscott (“How to Get Away With a Murder Mystery”), and Saugus (“Woyzeck Reimagined”) each advanced to the semifinal round of the Festival.
On Wednesday, Mar. 19, the SHS Drama Club performed “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, this Girl Does Nothing,” for students at the Horace Mann Laboratory School.
“This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, this Girl Does Nothing,” is the second production of the year for the SHS Drama Club, which performed “Chicago: Teen Edition” Jan. 17-19 at the M. Ruth Norton Auditorium at SHS.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.
