WINTHROP — For 30 minutes on stage, Meagan Scully portrays a prostitute whose daughter aches to flee from her seedy environment and who herself just wants to be left alone.
Marc Hachey plays a cook, the owner of a diner who loves his hometown — in contrast to everyone else.
Additional Photos
The pair, a senior and junior, respectively, at Winthrop High School, were named to the All-Festival Cast at the recent regional drama festival. They will present the show, along with the rest of the cast and crew, at the Class B State Drama Festival March 23 and 24 at Yarmouth High School.
Locals — including friends, family and fellow students — will have an opportunity to see the show 7 p.m. Wednesday at the high school. Admission is free, and donations are accepted.
It’s the fourth time in the past five years that Winthrop has reached the final. Last year, the troupe was edged out by two points by Rockland District High School.
This year’s play, “The Queen of TE,” was written by Dave Setchell, theater teacher and performing arts center director.
“It is a love story-tragedy based in Memphis, Ohio,” Setchell said. “The story surrounds a teenage girl named Maddie and her struggles to get away from the world she lives in. Her mother is a ‘working lady’ who has raised her daughter in a motel and in full view of the horrors of her lifestyle.”
Scully, who’s competed each year in high school, said the topic is unusual.
“People don’t usually tackle this kind of topic at all,” she said. “It’s kind of a new thing. I love it, personally.”
Scully worked on the crew her sophomore year, when the Winthrop play “Letters” placed third at the state competition, the school’s highest showing recently.
“There’s a lot of work building the set and long rehearsal hours and trying to get your character down,” Scully said. “My character has so much depth in her you’re almost becoming another person.”
Scully is on student council and is a captain of the varsity softball team, where she is a catcher and right fielder. A big Broadway fan, she’s considering several different colleges and hopes to major in musical theater.
“I love competition,” Hachey said. “People do not understand how competitive one-acts are. It’s time consuming and exhausting.” Hachey has been in the school’s drama program all three years and also competes in cross country and track.
Judges’ commendations at the regionals went to Alison Sekerak for scenic design and Teri Tricarico for lighting design, and three dozen students at the school are involved in the show.
“We’ve got a large number of talented students who put out a huge effort,” Setchell said. “They work very hard at what they do, especially when it comes to the festival.”
The annual Maine Drama Festival and Competition involves nearly 80 schools and more than 2,000 students each year.
The competition is coordinated by the Maine Principals’ Association Drama Committee, festival coordinators and the Maine Drama Council, according to the Maine Drama Council website.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
