SHS Drama Club Advances to METG Drama Festival Semifinal with Awards Abound
Ten SHS student-actors honored for one-act ‘Pandora and the Sickle Moon’
DANVERS (Mar. 4, 2025) – Seniors August Hunter and Charlie Feldmann Conners both won Excellence in Acting Awards as the Salem High School Drama Club advanced to the semifinal round of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG) High School Drama Festival Saturday at St. John’s Preparatory School.
The SHS Drama Club, spearheaded by SHS Theater and Dance Educator/Instructor Leah Hamilton French, performed one act from Jessica Chipman’s ‘Pandora and the Sickle Moon’ (produced by special arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Company) to advance to the semifinal round Saturday, Mar. 14 (2:30 p.m.) at Marshfield High School.
The Drama Club returns to the semifinal round for the second time in three years. In 2024, the Club performed one act from ‘An Experiment’ by Brent Holland, which advanced to the semifinal, its first appearance in the METG Festival since the Covid-19 outbreak.
‘Pandora and the Sickle Moon’ depicts Pandora narrating the story of Princess Freya, who is captured by the evil Queen Skadaas, yet pursued by the queen’s sons. Though she released the ‘Evils’ into the world, a repentant Pandora attempts to reverse her misdeed through a surprising turn of events.
Mr. Hunter, playing the role of Vol, and Mr. Feldman Conners, who portrayed Pandora, both received Excellence in Acting awards and were two of 10 ensemble members to earn individual awards.
Seniors Lizzy Mahady and Raymond Nguyen, who co-directed alongside SHS Theater and Dance Teacher/Director Leah Hamilton French, received Technical Excellence in Directing honors while senior Clover Borne Lyon received Technical Excellence in Costume Design honors.
Additionally, senior Ella Jackson – who also designed the set – along with juniors Frances Jones, Chance Beals, and Savannah Muasya, and freshman Sam Vietske, each received Ensemble Acting awards for their collective roles of the Evils.
“Our show this year leaned into a simple but stylized concept, with scenery, sound, costumes, and a movement-based masked chorus inspired by Greek Theatre,” Ms. French said. “I chose the show to allow many of our senior technical students to shine, in addition to providing great opportunities for our actors. Ella Jackson’s scenic design, Clover Borne Lyon’s hand stitched costumes, sound design by Sam Mulligan (with assistance from Raymond Nguyen), and lighting by Lizzy Mahady all came together to create a cohesive moment of storytelling that aligned with our actors’ physical and vocal choices.
“I think our show did well because our kids really listened and tuned into what one another was doing to create a very balanced and unified piece,” Ms. French added.
Consistent with the District’s Strategic Plan core values of elevating learning and centering belonging, Ms. French noted the production marked the first time she had students co-direct alongside her.
“Seniors Lizzy Mahady and Raymond Nguyen participated in all parts of the process from auditions, casting, running rehearsals, and making creative choices,” she said. “It was wonderful to see them take on leadership in that way, and how the cast and crew followed them. The whole process was very collaborative. Our chorus of Evils, led by Frances Jones, worked together to create a movement language that supported the storytelling.”
Contributing to the collaboration was Jabari Tovar, music educator and percussion specialist at Collins Middle School, who provided percussion tracks to enhance the drama. “He played a djembe and his beats both responded to the action and inspired our actors to make new choices,” Ms. French said. “Following that rehearsal, we asked him to record several of the sounds and riffs that worked best. Our sound designers, led by senior Sam Mulligan, edited them together for use in the show and we figured out where to put them to heighten our action.
“I am very proud of our students for bringing such commitment and professionalism to their artistry, while still really enjoying the process,” she added.
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.
