Westford Academy Theater Arts’ (WATA) performance of “Stupid … Bird” took them from being preliminary round victors, to semifinal champions, to finalists at the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG) competition, following suit with their previous year’s success, where their production of “Disgraced” earned them a spot at the METG finals.
From March 27 through March 29 WATA perched in Boston, watching 14 other high schools’ productions over the course of three days. While in Boston, they also performed a play of their own; “Stupid … Bird,” a derivation from the 1896 play “The Seagull”, centers on heavy topics such as depression, suicidal ideation, abusive relationships, and self harm.
“The characters are actors who are playing the roles of the 1890 seagull [who] reluctantly assume the roles because they know the play, and they know the world is severe and the outcome is very bleak. The ultimate outcome of our play is that the actor, playing the principle character, chooses not to follow through with the outcome of the original play, because he chooses to live,” WATA director Michael Towers said. “In the outcome of ‘The Seagull’, the protagonist chooses to take his life. [But in] the outcome of ‘Stupid … Bird’, the character that is the actor playing that role recognizes that there is another path and he chooses that path, determining to stop the play.”
Junior Hayden Pelta, and seniors Carissa Wong, Ethan Mandile, Aubrie Rose, and Campbell Twitchell, were all majorly involved in the production of the play. Lighting designer Hayden Pelta and stage manager Mandile were in charge of certain behind-the-scenes elements, including the control of the lighting, props, and scenery on stage while Rose, Wong, and Twitchell filled major acting roles in the play.
According to Hayden Pelta, the lighting in particular proved difficult to manage as it worked and looked different in each location. This was especially hard since the lighting crew was only given 50 minutes before the show to master the controls that would dictate the appearance of their performance, adding to the necessity of an efficient crew in order to be in prospect of success at such an event. Hayden Pelta, sophomore Tyler Pelta, and senior Téa Munichiello won an award for excellence in technical theater for their lighting design at the METG.
Speed is of the essence at the METG finals as each group is only given a 50 minute period to put on their play, with 5 minutes at the beginning to set up the scenery and effectively create the world of the play, and 5 minutes at the end to deconstruct the scenery to prepare for the next performance. According to Towers, if by any margin the group goes over the 40 minute time limit, their performance will be deemed void. WATA timed 39:38.
“It’s not a race, it’s about making authentic theater that tells a complete story with a strong beginning, middle, and end, with a compelling protagonist in conflict, who confronts that conflict and works relentlessly to achieve their objective,” Towers said. “Even this year we had more play than we had time, so we had to continue to cut and revise and you need written permission from the publishing company that holds the rights to the play [to do that].”
According to Towers, although WATA did not place as winners at the METG final, the experience still proved valuable, and the achievement of a spot in the finals alone is commendable. Students tended not to focus on the competition of the event, keeping the environment very friendly. It is not uncommon for schools to help each other out, borrowing set pieces from each other. To Towers, what is most important is that the students are happy with the production that they put on and that they feel that it was their best work.
“It was great because everyone was really supportive of each other, it was [also] great just being able to meet other people. Everyone was lifting each other up throughout the weekend and it was great to be with so many other people that have the same interest as us,” Pelta said. “It’s great being exposed to so many other lenses of theater and having students from [all around the state] that all share this one common bond, come together and share their art and appreciate each other’s work.”
Other students who won awards include senior Carissa Wong for excellence in acting for her role as Mash and senior Rithvik Raghunath for excellence in acting for his role as Sorn.
