The drama club at Brockton High School has good reason to take a victorious bow, having been named one of the three "State Finals Winners" at the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild drama festival. Their winning performance, a staging of the 1892 comedy "Charley's Aunt," clinched the title over the weekend, triumphing in a competitive field that saw more than 90 high schools vie for the top spot when the contest kicked off on March 2.
Joining them in the winner's circle were students from St. John's Prep in Danvers and Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, each recognized for their theatrical efforts with Peabody revolving around the piece "The Whale," and St. John’s Prep grabbing eyeballs with “Nothing/Something.” Struggling with fights in hallways and teacher shortages, winning this title brings a much-needed spotlight on Brockton High, which last held the championship in 2019, as CBS News Boston reported.
According to the elated cast members, the win was akin to an adrenaline rush. "It's so exhilarating I’ll never get used to it," Emilia Cabellon, a senior at Brockton High, described the experience. Another senior, Steven Nascimento, recounted the tense moments leading to the victory: "My whole body was shaking, I almost passed out." Furthermore, the Brockton High School drama students, notably overwhelmed by emotion, became State Champions—a moment of pride and jubilation for the group, as per information provided by Boston 25 News.
The festival's format was a test of both talent and precision, with each team having a mere five minutes to assemble and disassemble their respective sets, with the threat of disqualification hanging overhead for any time infractions. After hearing "Charley's Aunt" announced as the winner Saturday night, Drama Director Bob Hogan described the emotion-packed evening. "It was just a magnetic night, it was electric, it was exciting it was pure joy, it was what we need night now," while dressing up one of their buddies as an older woman, one student told Boston 25 News. Reminiscing about his own days at Brockton High from which he graduated, Hogan felt a particularly poignant connection with this win.
Nascimento, who played one of the young men in the classic farce, couldn't contain his pride, saying, "I'm just so proud to represent Brockton I'm just so proud to be in this school." As for Cabellon, who played his girlfriend in the play, the role was a perfect mix of humor and charm: "She’s silly, she’s witty." Not resting on their laurels, the high-flying Brockton cast is set to perform the play one more time before they advance to their spring musical, per their drama director's plan.
