Local students in state theater finals

The Kingswood Arts Center in Wolfeboro will be the scene of a competition involving students from 12 New Hampshire high schools using a lot of gestures and words and costumes in an effort to capture the crown at the state high school theater festival.

Gilford and Franklin high schools will be among the thespian contestants trodding the boards tomorrow and Saturday in the finals of the annual competition put on by the New Hampshire Educational Theatre Guild.

Several regional competitions were held in March at Kearsarge, Pinkerton, Salem and Windham high schools, involving 24 schools, all of whom performed one act plays.

The schools moving forward – in addition to Gilford and Franklin – were John Stark, Fall Mountain, The Founders Academy, Kingswood, Salem, Merrimack, Plymouth, Sanborn, Coe Brown and Pinkerton.

Plays to be presented ranged from the serious like Authur Miller's classic, "The Crucible," to the playful "Seussification of A Midsummer Night’s Dream" by Peter Bloedel.

Gilford chose the Bloedel work, a curious, hilarious amalgam of Dr. Seuss and William Shakespeare. A tale of two lovers is told by the narrators, Chelsea Ammeris and Anna Cook, both of whom were noted as best actresses in the regional competition.

Cook, as a freshman, has a background in theater of 16 productions and considers this to be one of her favorite roles. “This and Morticia in the Adams Family,” she said. Anna sees a future on Broadway some day, and loves the "Seussified" pronunciations on stage. “It makes it simple,” she said.

Chelsea is a seasoned performer as well, having acted in 14 shows. “I loved playing Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors,” she said,  adding that she hopes to spend much of her life in show-biz related positions.

Meredith Ellis, 17, is another stage veteran who plays Tatiana and also immersed herself in costume design and selection for the 17 member cast. She won a costuming award at the regional compeition.

All-state performer Ryan Witham plays Nick Bottom and looks at performing as giving him a chance to become somebody else. “It’s a form of escapism,” Witham said, “and so rewarding when the audience shows its appreciation – it makes the effort worthwhile.”

A walk through the GHS auditorium shows lots of plaques on the wall that have been awarded to the school’s performers and stage productions over the years. “We do have a long tradition, theater director Grace McLaughlin said, “and this is a terrific, deserving cast.”

McLaughlin is part of that tradition. She is a 2013 Gilford High graduate who has returned home after studying  education and theater at the University of Vermont. She fits right in with the young cast, relating to them by age and mentoring them with her experience.

“She’s amazing,” said Anna Cook.

Franklin students will be presenting Alan Haehnel's "A Rare Condition" at 4:20 p.m. on Friday, while Gilford students are scheduled to take the stage Friday at 8:05 p.m.

The top two shows from the will be chosen to perform at the New England Theatre Festival which is held in a different New England state each year. Gilford hosted the festival in 2018.