The Wareham High School drama club reached the semifinals of a statewide theater festival with its performance of “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon,” a fast-paced comedy featuring stories from the Brothers Grimm. 

The competition, held by the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, took place over the first two weeks of March. The festival requires schools to stage a one-act play lasting less than 40 minutes, which is judged by a panel of adjudicators.

The club performed “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” which Drama Club Director Joey Ferro described as “a very funny and absurdist comedy.” The play features two narrators who attempt to retell 206 fairy tales, including “Cinderella” and “Snow White,” while a group of confused actors tries to keep up.

The Wareham students performed in the preliminary round on March 1 at Bourne High School, where they were one of four schools to advance to the semifinals, which occurred at Brockton High School on March 15. 

Wareham’s performance earned seven awards at the preliminary round, including four for acting and three for technical elements. The team received three additional awards at the semifinals but did not advance further. 

“The great thing about our group is they are incredibly motivated,” Ferro said. “It was very eye-opening to see what they can come up with and do on a stage with different aspects of theater. They had an amazing time.”

Ferro, who is in his first year as Wareham’s drama director, said they intend to continue participating in the festival. The event has been held annually for 93 years and includes a middle school division and a musical theater division.

The Wareham drama students are now preparing for their spring musical, “Ride the Cyclone: High School Edition,” which will be performed in May. The production will also feature music from members of the Wareham High School band.

“They’ve really picked up a lot of different acting and singing techniques as we approach our upcoming musical in May,” Ferro said. “I love the ability to create a safe space for kids to really express themselves.”

The drama club also attended the production of “Moana Jr.” performed by Wareham Middle School and a performance by Middleboro students at Middleboro High School.

“We went and did lots of cheering and high fives to the kids. It’s all about making them feel special,” Ferro said. “They put so much hard work into this. It’s also nice to connect with schools in other communities and their drama directors.”