Mackenzie Klem and Dan Jackson (Courtesy photos)
Ben Senkowski and Emma Raymond.
Mackenzie Klen, Rachel Hettinger, Dan Jackson, and Will Ashley.
Fresh off the Massachusetts High School Drama festival, where it reached the final round, the Bromfield Drama Society will be performing an original piece, “Love in the Twilight Zone,” at the Harvard Schools Trust 23rd Annual Spring Dinner-Theater Gala on Saturday, March 31, in the Cronin Auditorium at the Bromfield School.
The play was written by 2010 Bromfield graduates Danny Eisenberg, Clark Jacobson, Becca McCourt, and Peter Kenna, and is directed by former Bromfield teacher Michael McGarty.
“It’s a strange and quirky play,” said McGarty.
Written in the style of the classic science fiction TV series “The Twilight Zone,” the play is cut into three segments, each about a different relationship. The first portrays the relationship between two lions, the second involves two people who attend A.A.-like meetings for people who see illusions, and the third segment details the relationship between two office workers and their alter egos.
“All of the relationships end in a way you wouldn’t expect,” McGarty said.
The Bromfield Drama Society was chosen as a finalist in the 81st Annual Massachusetts High School Drama Festival. On March 3, 115 schools competed in the preliminary round; 46 of them remained in the secondary round, one segment of which was held at Bromfield on March 10. In the final round, at the Back Bay Events Center in Boston, just 14 schools performed.
“[Bromfield] did well and came away with two awards for Excellence in Acting,” McGarty said.
Awards were given to Ben Senkowski, who took on the roles of “Todd Serling” and “Sid,” and to Daniel Jackson, for his roles as “Donald Mane” and “Sam.”
Peabody Veteran’s Memorial High School took first place this year for its production of “Alchemy of Desire/Dead Man’s Blues.” Runners- up were Westford Academy with “The Hairy Ape,” and Saint John’s Preparatory School with “Macbeth.”
For McGarty, the most important part of the festival is that the students have a good time, he said.
“The judges are looking for acting that’s genuine and tech work that’s interesting,” he said. “A whole package that’s unified and well blended.”
There are a total of six cast members in the play; however, three of them have taken on double roles.
“This makes the strength of the show, that they start as one character and end up as someone else,” McGarty said.
The Bromfield Drama Society has participated in the state festival for 33 years and has been a finalist or an award-winner every year.
“Love in the Twilight Zone” will be performed Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Cronin Auditorium as part of the Harvard Schools Trust’s Dinner-Theater Gala. The play will be followed by dinner and dessert catered by Chef Paul Corrently, and a silent auction at the Fellowship Building of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church. All proceeds from the event will go to grant requests for educational enrichment programs at the Hildreth Elementary School and the Bromfield School.
