WHS Lamplighters Advance In Competition With Original Production

The Wilmington High Lamplighters Drama Guild, under the direction of director/advisor Jason Luciana, have advanced to the semifinals of the Mass. Educational Theater Guild One-Act Festival for the first time ever with a play called "Still Falls The Rain."

It's okay if you don't recognize the name of the play. In fact, it says something that you don't. "Still Falls The Rain" is an original one-act play written by WHS student Katie Barrie. It also features an original music score compose by fellow Wildcat Connor Burke.

The Lamplighters performed the production at the METG preliminaries last week at Chelmsford High and placed in the top three to advance to the semifinals on Saturday, March 9 at Norwood High. There are eight such semifinals going on this weekend, with the top schools at each advancing to the finals, March 21-23 in Boston.

"They've worked so hard on this. They've put in so much time," said Julie LeDeoux, president of WHS Choral and Theater Support. LeDoux said it was the first time in the 10 years WHS has been competing that the Lamplighters have advanced out of the first round.

"Still Falls The Rain" is a historical drama, set in London, during the German Blitzkrieg at the outset of World War II. According to the Lamplighters web site, the play is about, "Five strangers, forced to take shelter from the onslaught of airstrikes in a bomb shelter learn more about each other, and themselves. Part character-study, part historical study, Still Falls the Rain is a piece that forces us to examine the best and worst of each other, and ourselves."

As per the rules of the competition, the play is 40 minutes long. The crew has no more than five minutes to put up their set before the play begins and five minutes to break it down after it is completed.

"It's such a team effort," said LeDoux. "The lead actors are out there (with the stage crew) carrying platforms onto the stage."

The cast for "Still Falls The Rain" is as follows:

Gloria - Mei Lu Barnum
Vera - Amy Lynne Warner
Diane - Nicole Ledoux
Charlie - Jimmy Lawrenson
Walter - Mike Semonelli

Gray Gloria - Julia Ferraro
Gray Gloria's Mother/Gray Alice - Nikk Tetreault
Gray Gloria's Father/Gray Vera's SS - Sam Alatalo
Gray Charlie/Gray Richard - Francis Norton
Gray Vera - Ashley LaCambria
Gray Diane - Hrstina Tasheva
Gray Walter/Gray Instigator - Peter Ammon
Gray Pubgoers/SS Members - Will MacKinnon, Chris Romano
Gray Lebensborn Women - Rachel Sainato, Shannon Sullivan