Arts & Entertainment
ABRHS to host Massachusetts Thespians Festival on Feb. 9
Proscenium Circus to present 'Rosie the Riveter,' 'The Book of Everything'
Proscenium Circus and Acton-Boxborough Regional High School will host the fifth annual Massachusetts Thespians Festival on Saturday, Feb. 9, under the auspices of the International Thespian Society (ITS).
Doors open at 8 a.m. at the ABRHS Auditorium, 36 Charter Road in Acton, with seven Massachusetts high schools presenting one-act festival plays throughout the day: Tyngsborough High School, Acton-Boxborough, Boston’s Academy of the Pacific Rim, Boston Latin School, Ipswich High School, Somerville High School, and Plymouth South High School. A full schedule is available online.
Friends, family and community members are welcome to attend the daylong festival. Tickets ($10) are available at the door, permitting entry to one-act play performances throughout the day.
Find out what's happening in Actonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Play performances begin at 9 a.m. and run through 6 p.m. Proscenium Circus will present two productions: at 10 a.m., “Rosie the Riveter,” which will be judged as part of the festival competition, and at 5:15 p.m., "The Book of Everything,” in a non-adjudicated performance.
Set during the throes of World War II, “Rosie the Riveter” explores the life of a secretary who rolls up her sleeves to help her factory win a government contract to make airplane parts. She later becomes the iconic image that inspires so many women workers to join the cause.
Find out what's happening in Actonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"The Book of Everything" tells the story of a 9-year-old boy who constructs an imaginary world in post-war Amsterdam to escape his explosive family dynamics. Based on the 2004 award-winning Dutch children's novel by Guus Kuijer, the drama explores domestic violence through a child’s eyes.
In addition to this weekend's festival, PC will present both plays at ABRHS on March 8-9; tickets for those shows will be on sale soon.
Festival plays are known for their dramatic creativity and innovation. At ITS, theatrical professionals from throughout the country provide immediate feedback and adjudication following plays and individual events, thereby enhancing the theatrical experience for students and audience members.