Peabody's Stage One Drama Club Earns State Championship

PEABODY, MA — Fifty-five members of the Peabody Stage One drama club came together this year for a third straight state championship at the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival.

Peabody, which also won titles in 1983, 2012, 2015 and 2016, performed "Clyde's" with students serving as cast, production team and crew.

Lynn Nottage's play takes place at a truck stop sandwich shop, offering its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a shot at redemption. Even as the shop's callous owner tries to keep them down, the staff members learn to reclaim their lives, find purpose, and become inspired to dream by their shared quest to create the perfect sandwich.

"This production process taught our students about strength, forgiveness, and beginning again, even when the circumstances seem impossible," PVMHS drama teacher and director Stephanie Manning told Patch. "Most importantly, they shared with audiences that everyone deserves a second chance.

"It was a powerful message that we were proud to share."

Joining Peabody as state champions this year were our friends at Stoughton High School and Milton High School.

This year's cast included:

Montrellous…Tijan Camara ‘25
Rafael...Matheus Muniz ‘26
Letitia…Emy Sousa Santos ‘26
Jason…Myles Fitzgerald ‘27
Clyde…Erina Stanton ‘26

Production Team

Director…Ms. Stephanie Manning*
Producer…Mr. Richard Carey*
Technical Director…Mr. Ross Titelbaum*
Assistant Directors…Stella LeDuc, Izabella Pereira
Stage Managers…Mars Becker, Allyson Bua, Finn Bricklemyer
Movement Coordinator…Kaelyn Veltry
Fight Choreographer…Mr. Tristan Burke*
EDI Consultant…Mrs. Kira Troilo*, Arts & Soul Consulting
Writing Consultant…Nathan Medina
Understudies…Alin Alexandre, Logan Cerasale-Messina, Izabella Pereira, Kaelyn Veltry
Deck Managers…Alivia Frederick, Sebastian Greco
Culinary Manager…Temperance Reed
Scenic Design & Construction…Mr. Alan Titelbaum*, Mr. Ross Titelbaum*, Livia Gjini, Syd Topham-Williams, Cat Quaresma
Sound Design & Operation...Patrick Stanton, Sahelys Taveras
Sound Assistant…Edin Alic
Lighting Design & Operation…Maya Yaffe
Costume Design...Susie LeCain, Paige Volkmann
Props Design & Management…Tabi Muise, Victoria Weinberg
Props Crew...Yaniell Dejesus, Angelari Machari
Hair, Makeup & Tattoo Artistry…Ripley Bricklemyer, Caroline Sargent
Dramaturgical Team…Sophie Hagerty, Kiana Reed, Nathalia Sandaire
Running Crew…Yadiel Acosta, Eric Bettencourt, Kayleigh Bettencourt, Andrew Boissonnault,
Lillian Brokvist, Maddie Cefalo, Rena Deftos, Lilliana Evans, Yasnelly Fernandez, Yanna Felismino, Raymond Jolly, Jacqueline Moreschi, Jayden Medina, Bianca Nelson, Levi Reyes, Kadence Sarat, Damian Valentin, Aliana Vasquez

Award winners at the METG 2025 Drama Festival:

Preliminary Round All-Star Company, Norwood High School
Excellence in Acting for the role of Rafael - Matheus Muniz ‘26
Excellence in Acting for the role of Leticia - Emy Sousa Santos ‘26
Excellence in Acting for the role of Jason - Myles Fitzgerald ‘26
Technical Excellence in Movement Coordination - Kaelyn Veltry ‘26
Technical Excellence in Scenic Design - Cat Quaresma ‘26, Livia Gjini ‘25, and Syd Topham-Williams ‘27
Technical Excellence in Culinary Management - Tempi Reed ‘26

Semifinal Round All-Star Company, Andover High School
Excellence in Ensemble Acting for the roles of Rafael & Leticia - Matheus Muniz ‘26 & Emy Sousa Santos ‘26
Technical Excellence in Movement Coordination - Kaelyn Veltry ‘26
Technical Excellence in Scenic Design - Cat Quaresma ‘26, Livia Gjini ‘26, and Syd Topham-Williams ‘27
Technical Excellence in Culinary Management - Tempi Reed ‘26
Technical Excellence in Cue Execution - Maya Yaffe ‘25, Patrick Stanton ‘26 & Sahelys Taveras ‘27
State Finals All-Star Company, John Hancock Hall, Boston, Myles Fitzgerald ‘27 for Excellence in Acting for the role of Jason Temperance Reed ‘26, Tabitha Muise ‘26, Victoria Weinberg ‘27, Yaniell DeJesus ‘27, and Angelari Macharia ‘28 for Technical Excellence in Culinary Props Design and Management Kaelyn Veltry ‘26 for Technical Excellence in Movement Coordination
Tijan Camara ‘25 was the recipient of the METG Trustees Award for Excellence in Acting for the role of Montrellous. This award is given to the outstanding actor of the weekend.