The cast and crew of The Great Gatsby had the opportunity to recreate the magic moments from December this Saturday at DramaFest. From 7:30 in the morning to 9:30 at night, some of the best talent Franklin High has to offer attended the competition in Swansee to have their production evaluated.

For 14 hours, 8 schools from the district put on 40-minute plays. The 3 schools with the highest scores move onto the statewide competition. Select actors and musicians receive awards for outstanding performance. After awards are given out, the 8 schools hold a dance to honor their hard work.

“It’s such a real experience… like watching a movie is fun but actually being there and seeing these people give their heart and soul into what they are doing is so uplifting and inspiring. You meet so many genuine and different people.” says Parker Halliday, also known as Jordan Dwyer.

The students are given five minutes to set-up, and 5 minutes to take their set down along with the 40 minutes for the production itself. Sadly, the cast was disqualified due to their set going 6 seconds over the given time.

Despite the disappointing news, 6 members were awarded individual awards of excellence. Heidi Gleichauf and Abhiram Rao received awards in the acting field for their roles as Daisy Buchanan and Tom Buchanan. Select musicians received their own awards, including Brady O’Keefe on guitar, Jay Teirnan on bass, Corey Arena on piano, and Andrew Sampson on the saxaphone.

“It’s so much fun and I get to watch shows all day and then perform and hang out with a lot of cool people. It’s a stressful but awesome experience.” agrees Sophomore Kalen Hughes.

The METG High School Drama Festival occurs once a year and begins with preliminary rounds, then moves onto semi and semi-final rounds leading up to the New England Festival.

Although FHS didn’t get the big title there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that had the production been 6 seconds shorter, the crew would be continuing on its road to success.