Bravo, Nipmuc Drama!

The cast and crew taking a bow after
their Sunday performance of
Rebel without a Cause

Congratulations to the Nipmuc Drama Guild for its moving and memorable performance of Rebel without a Cause this weekend. If you are familiar with the story then thoughts of the play might conjure up images of James Dean delivering one of his powerful monologues about courage, relationships, or the ongoing struggle between right and wrong. If you were able to take in one of this weekend's performances, however, your thoughts of this production will most likely leave James Dean behind in favor of the powerful performances delivered by Matt D'Innocenzo (Plato), Kelsey O'Hagan (Judy), Phil McMullin (Buzz), Brian Mullen (Jim), or any of our student-actors who participated in this play.

On Thursday evening I had the opportunity to speak briefly with the play's director, Mrs. Elizabeth McCarthy. As the students were working through their dress rehearsal, she talked about how pleased she was with the students' progress and shared how much she had enjoyed working with them. When I had the chance to view the production this weekend, I could see why Mrs. McCarthy was so proud. The students not only put on a great show, but also exhibited the kind of collaboration and camaraderie that has come to characterize Nipmuc Drama.

There's a moment in the play when lead character Jim Stark says "Home isn't a place, it's a state of mind...a relationship between people." When senior Brian Mullen made this statement as part of his powerful portrayal of Jim Stark, he not only captured a key idea of the play, but also the great success of the performance. For, over the course of the fall our student actors and crew members truly found their home away from home in their work with Nipmuc drama. The results of their many hours of rehearsing were evident in the quality of the production and the sense of togetherness they exhibited.

I am so proud of all of the actors and crew members who worked together to make the play such a success. I am already looking forward to our spring musical, Cinderella, which will take place March 30 - April 1.