Have you enjoyed our theater department’s previous performances this year? Then come and see them for their most competitive performance yet.
The Franklin High School Theater Department is presenting Flowers for Algernon for the M-E-T-G benefit festival. If you don’t know what M-E-T-G is, it’s a statewide competition with different host sites where many schools come and perform a 40 minute show for a judge with a chance to win awards. There are semifinals and finals with three overall winners. The cast of the show have been working day and night since the beginning of January.
FHS theater director, Mr. Grossman is impressed by the students this year. “We are hyper competitive, and I would say [the] festival is like the one show that students look forward to the most throughout their entire drama season. And I love the passion, and I love the perseverance, and I love the focus and the concentration.”
This year’s show follows Charlie Gordon, (played by Reece Lorenzoz) who is mentally challenged, and the world that he lives in is somewhat dystopian. He is chosen for a project in which the goal is to increase his IQ. So far they had been testing on mice, the main mouse being Algernon. They chose to move forward with humans because the surgery seemed to work for Algernon. After the surgery, we follow Charlie as he realizes how he’s been treated his entire life, whether it be good or bad. We watch as he slowly grasps love, passion, trauma, and who he truly is.
Senior, Will Heater, plays Jackie Welberg. Jackie handles the media and funding of the project Charlie has been subjected to. Jackie sees Charlie as more of an object than a human being. “She is this rich and ignorant character who created this foundation, and is the one who is funding everything,” said Will.
Will also plays a role in the ensemble, which has a significant impact in this performance. The ensemble is something of a constant presence in the show, and is more of an idea in this dystopian world. They help to advance the story.
Will is also head of the costuming department. They have been working in the costume department since sophomore year. Will makes, designs, buys, and overall decides what each character is going to wear in the play. This year, they have hand painted the lab coats that are seen in the show.
Free your calendars for March 1 and 8 at 7 pm, as well as March 2 at 4:30 pm! You don’t want to miss this year’s M-E-T-G performances with the amazing cast, crew, and director. If you have younger children, it is recommended that you go to the performances on March 1 and 8 because they are the benefit performances. March 2’s performance is the preliminary round, which has many rules for everyone, including the audience. Don’t miss your opportunity to see FHS’s amazing theater program in action!
TICKET LINK: onthestage.com/tickets