By Michael Barney, LHS Principal

Lunenburg High School was a center for performing arts during the month of February.   For the 43rd year, the students of Lunenburg High School produced and performed the competitive class plays to the delight of a packed house on Thursday, February 11.

Our judges this year included alumnus and former class play award winner Mr. Michael DelGuidice, retired faculty member Ms. Mariam Cronin and current faculty member Ms. Jennifer Scott. Our Master of Ceremonies was Assistant Principal Brian Spadafino.

The Sophomore class presented “Happily Never After”, by Tim Kelly with additional material written by class of 2012 members Taylor Liljegren, Rachel Stillman and Amara DeRienzo.

The faculty director was Mr. Nathan DiPerri.

The cast in order of appearance included Rachael Stillman, Taylor Liljegren, Derek Booth, Brittany Carlson, Victoria Doughty, Samantha Collette, Amara DeRienzo, Patrick Londa, Kelsey Olden, Samantha Broderick, Joseph Croteau, Deanna Wood, Michael Barney, Rachel Spurgeon and Amiana Banks. Stage and light crew included Jamie Rowe, Ronni Gillette, Olivia Arciprete, Joseph Croteau and Michael Barney.

Because the course of true love never runs smoothly, a marriage counselor has opened an office in the kingdom to see how famous fairy tale couples are faring.    Everywhere the counselor looks -- disaster! Sleeping Beauty will do nothing but nap; the Frog Prince refuses to give up his amphibian ways; and nothing will pry Cinderella away from her beloved cinders. Naturally, the spouses are complaining, and there is no choice but to rewrite the endings of the famous stories. The play presented the hijinks of fairy tales gone hilariously wrong!

The Junior class presented “The Outcasts of Poker Flat”, by Bret Harte, and adapted by Perry Edwards.

The faculty directors were Ms. Martha Cheesman and Ms. Stephanie Lizotte.  The cast, in order of appearance included Mario D’onofrio, Anna Meehan, Adelle Trainor, Timothy Keir, Stephen Flaherty, Grace Thomas and Shawn Kilroy. The stage crew included Brittany Green and Adam Whitcomb.

The setting in "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" is used as a forum to explore themes of tolerance and forgiveness, appearance and reality, and the ominous power of nature.

After intermission, the Helen Brockelman Speech Competition Finals took place.

As part of the Lunenburg High School freshman English curriculum, all freshmen prepared and presented a speech in their classes during the second term. This process was to help students meet the schoolwide academic expectation of effective communication.

Ten semi-finalists presented their speeches to a freshman assembly during the first week of February, and our three finalists, Ms. Stephanie Dery, Ms. Natalie Marabello and Ms. Erica Hoffman were selected as finalists and presented their speeches this evening.

The seniors, class of 2010, presented “Everyman” a medieval morality play, directed by Ms. Erinanne Snyder.

The cast, in order of appearance, included Cameron Bracken, Adam Lamy, Brenden Bennett, Michaella Reif, Lindsay Bingham, Tonje Oekland, Brandie Amos, Zachary Weller, Vanessa Harvie, Taylor Tocci, Dan Paquette, Manny deBettencourt, Laura Centarrino, Meagan Kendrick, Lidia Gugliuzza, and Steven Carpenter. Musicians were Amanda Buckingham and Kate O’Rourke. Stage and set crew included Savanna Champagne, Steven Passios, Nick Poirier, Sarah Wood, Sarah Johnson, Michael Amburgey, Nicole Consalvo, Katie Fairman, Aimee Teague and Kelly Ulf.

“Everyman” examined the question of Christian salvation by use of allegorical characters and what man must do to attain it. The premise is that the good and evil deeds of one’s life will be tallied by God after death, as in a ledger book. The play is the allegorical accounting of the life of Everyman, who represents all mankind.

The sophomore class took home the evening’s top prize, the Robert Logan Memorial Award, for the best play. Robert Logan was a long time resident of Lunenburg and a patron of the arts. The best play award is named for Mr. Logan. The sophomore cast did an encore performance on Friday, February 12 for the entire school and got a great reception.  After a brief hiatus, the sophomores performed again for the 7th and 8th grade, sharing the gift of live theater with their younger classmates on March 4 at the LHS auditorium. The class of 2012 has truly enjoyed this show and this experience this year and look forward to the class plays next year!

Individual award winners for the evening included Erica Hoffman for the Helen Brockelman Speech Competition Award for her speech entitled “Eleven”.

The Suzy Logan Memorial Award for Best Actor was awarded to Junior Tim Keir. Robert Logan’s wife, Suzy, continued her husband’s support of the arts, and was also the school’s census taker for 40 years. She provided costumes for numerous plays during the early years. Congratulations Tim! The honorable mention in this category went to junior Stephen Flaherty.

The Katie Krieger Memorial Award for Best Actress was awarded to Lindsey Bingham of the senior class. Katie Krieger won the best actress award in 1969 and matriculated to the University of Massachusetts when she passed away in 1970. The best actress award is named in her honor. Congratulations Lindsey! The honorable mention in this category went to junior Grace Thomas.

The Murl Daniels Award for Best Supporting Player was awarded to sophomore Amara Derienzo. Mr. Daniels was a professional make up artist who lent his talents to generations of Lunenburg students and productions through the years. Congratulations Amara. The honorable mention in this category went to sophomore Samantha Broderick.

On February 22, with generous support from the Lunenburg PTO, the Guild Player’s Theater Company from Vermont presented “The Sandwalk” in two performances to our students.

“The Sandwalk,” winner of the 1985 Vermont Playwright Award, featured Judith M. DuPree and David Paul Simon as Emma and Charles Darwin, deals with the controversy which raged over the publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species. The audience is taken “behind the scenes” into the home of this famous naturalist and his creationist wife, Emma.

In the performance, Darwin has promised not to publish during their lifetime, to avoid “the smut of controversy.”

When Alfred Wallace, a young naturalist stumbles upon the same concept (while off in the Malay Archipelago), and scarlet fever invades the house, family differences surface. What seems to be an unusually harmonious Victorian household erupts into dispute when sickness and surprise strike simultaneously.

The dialogue, built on years of research, contains references to Darwin’s observations and experiments. His wife’s views refer to contemporary sources, such as Shelley and Tennyson.

“The Sandwalk” has been called “magnificent” by Marilyn Spear of The Worcester Telegram, and The Fitchburg Sentinel describes it as “a play of Shakespearian quality.”

The Touring Company is the recipient of an Achievement in Regional Theater Award from The New England Theater Conference.

The performance has toured at several institutions, including Williams College, St. Michael’s College, Bryn Mawr College, Vassar College, Wellesley College, American University, Providence College, Indiana University, Davidson College, and several State University of New York sites.

We feel that giving all our students the opportunity to experience live theater is a very important educational experience. In this case, bringing history alive, and putting things in historical context is very valuable.

We want to thank the PTO and the entire community for their support of the arts. 
 

In March, through the generous support of the Lunenburg Cultural Council, the Boston Blues Society brings to LHS the Delta Generators. This musical experience for all students will expand their repertoire and expose them to a style of music that is steeped in the history of America.

As their name implies, The Delta Generators combine the urgency and soulfulness of delta blues with the power and energy of early rock 'n' roll.

While, in the broader sense, they could be classified as a blues band, there is room on that big blue canvas for brush strokes of Memphis soul, Louisiana funk, and classic rock 'n' roll. The combination of clever songwriting and inspired performances on their new CD "Devil in the Rhythm" shows why critics and audiences are calling them the best new blues band in New England.

We look forward to a high energy performance, including some surprise musical guests on stage on March 26. The arts are alive and well at LHS!