T he Massachusetts High School Drama Festival is the Guild's largest event of the year, which annually draws an average of 120 participating member schools. Now in its seventh decade, this play competition is open to every public, private, and parochial high school in the Commonwealth. Through participation in Festival, students with interests in acting, directing, and technical theatre gain valuable performance and production experience.

The Festival began in 1931 under the name of "Massachusetts Drama Day." Four schools participated in the original competition, which was held at the old Huntington Chambers building in Copley Square. In the 1940s, the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association became the educational sponsor of the state event. The year 1954 marked the beginning of two important corporate partnerships with the Guild: The Boston Globe became our lead patron, and John Hancock Hall became one of the Festival's sponsors. It was also in this year that the Festival was relocated to John Hancock Hall, where it has remained ever since. In 1989 the Guild's horizons expanded with incorporation as a nonprofit organization. As of 2005 the partnership of the Guild has shifted to the Boston Globe Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Galley Lighting, W. R. Grace & Co., American Express, Inc., WGBH Educational Foundation, the Zell Family Foundation, the Amelia Peabody Foundation, Shawmut Bank, Idylwilde Farms of Acton, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Arts Lottery Councils from member schools' cities and towns.
 
 

* In the past fifteen years, membership in the Guild has grown from 65 to 125 schools.

* In the past ten years, 280 different high schools have participated in the Drama Festival.

* In 2009, more than 3000 students from 115 schools participated in the Drama Festival.

* 2009 marked the 55th anniversary of the Boston Globe's sponsorship of MHSDG, and more than 3,000 people attended the 2009 Boston Globe State Festival.

* Since its inception in 1983, the playwriting contest has generated 545 student-written plays; 2009 marked the 19th annual logo contest for a student-designed Festival T-shirt.

* Since the establishment of the acting and set design scholarship program in 1992, sponsored, in part, through the generosity of the Boston Globe, the Guild has awarded $65,000 to 110 college-bound students.




Organization of Festival

T he Festival is organized on three levels -- preliminary, semi-final and state. Individual excellence is recognized at each level, including the selection of a Festival All-State Company at the finals. Two schools chosen at the State Festival represent Massachusetts in the New England Drama Festival, the regional showcase of secondary school theatre.
 


Overview of Festival Rules

¥ To enter the Festival, a school must be a member of the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild, with membership dues paid in full prior to the annual directors' meeting in January.

¥ A play selected for entry must be approved by the participating school's principal as indicated by his or her signature on the "Drama Festival Entry Form." (see link below)

¥ A school may elect to perform on a non-competitive basis by checking the appropriate box on the Entry Form. All rules governing Festival apply. A non-competitive entry is not eligible to advance to the next level; however, students in a non-competitive entry are eligible for individual acting and technical awards.

¥ No entry may exceed 40 minutes running time. 5 minute set up time and 5 minute strike time

¥ A musical or cutting from a musical is not permitted unless the publisher grants specific written permission for the play to be performed without the sung material.  Scene change music, incidental music, background music, and songs which occur in the text of a non-musical play are permitted.  Dance is permitted if it occurs in the text of a non-musical play.  Interpretive movement, with or without music, is also permitted if it occurs in the text of a non-musical play.  In any case, all music and/or dance must have prior approval from the President.  A use of music request form is sent to all directors upon receipt of festival entry registration and must be returned at the mandatory Directors' Meeting in January.

¥ A school may not enter a play in Festival that it entered in the previous three years.

¥ All technical elements, including set, lighting/sound design, and special effects, must be able to be accommodated by the existing physical and technical capabilities of the host schools. Since host schools vary greatly in their production resources, directors are strongly advised to keep the technical elements of their productions simple and flexible.

¥ The director, cast, and crew must attend all levels of Festival in which they participate.

¥ Attendance of the director, cast and crew is required at all performances except the one immediately preceding their own.

¥ A school is responsible for obtaining permission from the publisher or author for the performance of its entry and for paying all appropriate royalty fees. Permission to perform a cutting of a longer work or to combine two or more works under a banner title must also be obtained from the publisher(s). Proof of permission to perform and payment of royalty must be submitted at each level of Festival in which the school participates.

¥ Any school entering a competitive production is expected to continue to the semi-finals and finals, if selected.

¥ All Festival directors must attend the organizational meeting on January 23, 2010 at Framingham High School (snow date: January 24). Failure to attend will result in disqualification.

¥ A school may not enter a play title that was performed in the previous year's State Finals. In the 2009 Festival, the following 14 plays may not be performed:

Festival Entry Form

MHSDG Membership Form

Complete Festival Rule Book

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