With a cast of students from grades 2-12, our district-wide musical review was a hit! We had two successful performances of Raise Your Voice and an encore performance of several songs at District Arts Day in May.

In January, we performed Student Shorts: Year 10 of our annual student-directed play festival. This year's festival featured three short comedies: Good Cop, Bad Cop directed by Tina Dang and Kyree Williams-Hunter; Cheating Death, directed by Madie Iasimone and Adriana Gomez; and When Bad Things Happy to Good Actors, directed by Stephanie Dawes and Jami Mohnkern. We had two successful performances of these plays.

The following members of our ITS Troupe worked throughout the fall and winter to write this original play:

Madie Iasimone, Khalid Ford, Adriana Gomez, and Christine Auguste with Jami Mohnkern, Charlotte MacIsaac, Stephanie Dawes, and Tina Dang. This cautionary tale was well-received by the audience at two performances in April.

Happiness is the fall musical! With a cast of students from grades 4-12 and faculty from AMHS, our district-wide musical was a hit! We had two successful performances of Charlie Brown with more than 500 tickets sold each night.  

In January, we performed Student Shorts: Year 9 of our annual student-directed play festival. This year's festival featured five short comedies: Hamster Murder! directed by Tina Dang and Bee Jackson, It's You, directed by Andre Chacon and Lliam Williams, Elf Rebellion, directed by Rhiannon Finkle and Madie Iasimone, How to Survive Family Game Night, written by Bee Jackson and directed by Mrs. Pyne, and Container of Sharks!, directed by Maeve Hagberg and Stephanie Dawes. We were only able to perform this show once, but we had a very appreciative audience of more than 100 people at our opening (and closing) night!  

In April, we performed this story of superheroes and villains crossing paths at a comic book convention. 

We couldn't have been more excited to put on our first musical since 2019! With a cast of students from grades 4-12 and faculty from both schools, our district-wide musical was a hit! We had two successful performances of Matilda with more than 350 tickets sold each night, in addition to a sneak peek at Butler. 

In January, we performed Student Shorts: Year 8 of our annual student-directed play festival. This year's festival featured five short comedies: Wrong Number, Romeo! directed by Rhiannon Finkle and Tina Dang, The Role of Della, directed by Madie Iasimone and Bee Jackson, The (Completely Inaccurate) Legend of the Mummy Witch House, directed by Maeve Hagberg, Bestie Battles, written by Jessie Carson and directed by Mrs. Pyne, and The Audition, directed by Jessie Carson. We had two small but very appreciative houses, and lots of rumors that this was the best Student Shorts yet! 

In April, we tackled this technical beast of a production. We learned fight choreography, built a full set and then spent weeks practicing how to knock it down, and had the most fun the AMHS stage has seen in quite some time. Audiences loved this play-within-a-play gone wrong!

We were thrilled to welcome audiences back to our auditorium with two short comedies: Student Council v Andi Johnson and Help Desk. An appreciative crowd of more than 200 attended two performances in November of 2021. With a cast of 28 students from grades 7-12, this was our largest non-musical production to date.

In February, we performed Student Shorts: Year 7 of our annual student-directed play festival. This year's festival featured four short comedies: Nerdbullies and Other Strange Creatures, directed by Jessie Carson and Steven Mellett, The True Meaning of Halloween, directed by Grayson Costigan and Ayla Magne, Superheroes: With Great Power Comes Ordinary Responsibility, directed by Husam Adam and Hailey Capuzzo, and 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, directed by Matt Iasimone.

In May, we brought the bard back to Avon for A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was a very challenging production, but our student actors and tech crew rose to the occasion.  The performance was well-received by audiences, and Ms. Shepley had this to say after the show, "Drama is definitely back after the pandemic at AM-HS. Congrats!"

The Drama Club made its first foray into the world of virtual streaming with The Mystery of Custodia. 

Our first show this year was a funny and sometimes serious look at the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. A very appreciative audience enjoyed two performances in November 2019.

Nine high school students signed on as directors for the sixth annual student-directed play festival. For the first time, we included a student-written piece, Jimmy For a Day by Matt Iasimone and Ayla Magne. This year's festival included 5 other short comedies: The Caveman Blues, directed by Jordan Sullivan and Nicole Pepe, No More, Mister Nice Guy, directed by Husam Adam and Hailey Capuzzo, 10 Ways to Survive the End of the World, directed by Steven McCarthy and Jack Torres, The Unfortunate Gift, directed by Jessie Carson, and La Mouche, directed by Queyka Saint Louis. Jimmy For a Day (directed by Matt Iasimone) received great feedback from the faculty adjudicators at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival.

This year's musical included more than 100 participants in grades 4-12 and the faculty. Unfortunately, our production was canceled just two weeks before opening, due to the pandemic. 

We opened our season with this serious look at how a school responds to the unexpected loss of a student. This was a tough piece for us, but it was very well-received by our audiences.  

This year's festival included five students directing four short comedies: Bullies Anonymous, directed by Jaciana Rodriguez, Anger Management, directed by Nicole Pepe and Jordan Sullivan, 10 Reasons You Should Have Stayed Home Sick Today, directed by Cam MacQuarrie, and Bladder Control, directed by Ginger Blackburn. Anger Management went on to perform at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival in late January. The cast and directors received great feedback from the Emerson faculty respondents. 

This year's musical included more than 40 students in grades 4-12! We had two very successful and well-attended performances of the show, and a great time was had by all!

We started the year with a collection of monologues centered around senior superlatives. We performed for two small but enthusiastic audiences.

Year 4 brought our biggest festival yet! Eight students directed their peers in six short comedies: Last-Minute Adjustments, directed by Jodee Frias and Seth Vaughn, The Midnight Club, directed by Ginger Blackburn, Cuttin' Line, directed by Marline Valcimond, It's Not You, directed by Kaitlyn Duncan, A Murdered Mystery, directed by Alex Fowler and Jessica Lind, and Bad Auditions by Bad Actors, directed by Cam MacQuarrie. The cast and crew voted to send Last-Minute Adjustments and It’s Not You to perform at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival at the end of January. 

This year's musical was a mash-up of many different fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Jack and the Beanstalk, all wrapped around the tale of a baker and his wife who will do anything to have a child of their own. Featuring a cast of students in grades 4-12, this one was a lot of fun!

We started the 16-17 season with this very humorous look at an evening of monologues from a high school drama class. Mrs. Pyne had great fun playing the role of the director, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the student performances.

Four brave students took on the challenge of directing their peers in three short comedies: Avoiding the Pitfalls of High School Dating, directed by Fabienne Dessalines, From the Mouths of Babes, directed by Jodee Frias, and The Customer is Always Wrong, directed by Sam Vicente and Cassie Baudouin. All three plays were performed here at AMHS.  The Customer is Always Wrong was chosen by the audience to to perform at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival at the end of January.  Our students were recognized with the following awards by Emerson faculty members: Donovan Potemri, Ginger Blackburn, and Fabienne Dessalines were recognized for outstanding acting, and Samantha Vicente was recognized for outstanding directing! 

We wrapped up the year with a review.  Featuring songs from classic to contemporary Broadway musicals, this show was a big hit with two packed audiences.  The cast included students in grades 4-12, a group of brave teachers singing "Hard-Knock Life," performances from the high school chorus and band, and solos from Drama Club alumni (and a knock-out job by our alumni crew).  What fun!

We began our season with a partnership with SALSA (a program of ACES) - a student-written production about addiction and recovery.  The performance was presented in collaboration with the Avon Police and Fire Departments.  The first half of the program featured monologues written by students in our Drama Club and Ms. Howe's Creative Writing class.  The second half of the program featured stories from people in recovery, as well as information from local agencies working together to address substance use disorders.  All proceeds from the performances were donated to Learn to Cope, Independence Academy, and Teen Challenge - Brockton.  Thanks to Avon Community Access and Media, the performance was filmed and is available on YouTube. 

Six brave students took on the challenge of directing their peers in 4 short comedies: The Boys at IHOP, directed by Jodee Frias, Roll Over, Beethoven, directed by Brittany Wilson, The Role of Della, directed by Allison Isaksen, and Action News, directed by Daniella Dias and Nicole Patri. Each play was performed here at AMHS.  Two plays were chosen by the audience to share their work at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival at the end of January.  Allison Isaksen, Ginger Blackburn, and Fabienne Dessalines were recognized by Emerson faculty members for Excellence in Acting.  Bravo!

Our annual musical featured students in grades 6-12 and was a radioactively great time!

We started the 2014-2015 season with three short comedies.  In Life Line, we were treated to voice mail hell, courtesy of the Good Samaritan Life Line.  In All I Really Need to Know I Learned From Being a Zombie, the audience learned a few life lessons from the undead.  In Driver's Test, we had the audience rolling in the aisles as Gail tries to earn her license despite the poor influence of her DMV test administrator.

Five brave students took on the challenge of directing their peers in 5 short comedies: Regina Flector Wins the Science Fair, directed by Allison Blackburn, Grandma Remembers Something directed by Farah Louis, On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning, directed by Nicole Patri, The 10 Best Worst Things About High School, directed by Daniella Dias, and The Future is in Your Tiny Hands, directed by Megan Damiano. All five plays were performed here at AMHS.  Two plays were chosen by the audience to share their work at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival at the end of January.  Our students were recognized with the following awards by Emerson faculty members: Allison Blackburn, DQ Mohammed, and Jodee Frias received awards for Outstanding Acting.  Faith Chege, Sabine Etienne, Farah Louis, and Katie Morris received awards for Outstanding Ensemble Acting.  Bravo!

This year's Spring Musical was "schoolhouse rocking!" Twenty students, from grades 3-12, graced the stage and embodied their teachers as they sang and danced about nouns, United States history, and the multiplication tables. Adults reminisced as children learned from all of the Schoolhouse Rock characters. Rock on!

We began the 2013-2014 season with a new spin on Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers. With an assist from the Hip Hop club and some wonderful music, we told a contemporary story of young love rising above a bitter feud.  We even made the front page of the local section of the Enterprise!  We also got this mention in the School Committee minutes: "The Drama Club presented Romeo and Juliet to over 300 people.  The students worked hard and kudos to Mrs. Pyne.  It was a wonderful success."

This farce kept us busy and brought lots of laughs at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival.  Jillian Neault won an award for Outstanding Acting, Delaney Ingalls won an award for Outstanding Acting (and "inspired reacting"), and Nicole Patri won for Outstanding Stage Management.

We wrapped up the year with a review.  Featuring songs from classic to contemporary Broadway musicals, this show was a big hit with two packed audiences.  The cast included students in grades 2-12, along with a group of brave teachers singing "Kids (What's the matter with kids today?)".  What fun!

We kicked off the 2012-2013 season with a small-cast play for young audiences.  Step on a Crack follows Ellie Murphy as she struggles against - and comes to accept - her new step-mother.  Congratulations to the cast and crew on two successful performances!  

The second show of our season was quite a challenge!  Based on the classic TV movie Twelve Angry Men, this show kept us on our toes.  We had a good turn-out each night, and two solid performances.  Well done!

We finished the year strongly with our fourth musical.  27 students took the stage and shared a day in the life of Charlie Brown.  We had a wonderful write up in the Enterprise, and great feedback from our audience members.  Mrs. Mahoney said, "Loved the whole production; the kids did a great job, and the music was excellent, too. Just all around FANTASTIC!! Thanks for a great show." Dr. Frieswyk had this to say: "Thank you to your team who put on a fabulous show this weekend.  The students were fabulous, the music, sets, were wonderful.  The dog house was quite a structure...any dog would love that as a residence or perhaps a human being or two!!   I know how much hard work goes into putting together such a show.  I want to thank you for all that you do for those who enjoy participating in both on and off the stage and in the audience in such a performance.  A job well done!"

We began the 2011-2012 season with a big step outside of our comfort zone.  Nightfall brings together 4 of Poe's well known pieces: The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart.  The performance was a big hit with our audience.  According to Ms. Shepley: "Nightfall was magnificent!!  I know next-to-nothing of Poe's work - so, I was blown away - by the text AND the performances!!  Amazing - all around."  Mrs. Hansen had this to say: "Just wanted to tell you that in my humble opinion, I thought the sound, lighting, and sets were terrific.  Thank you to all who helped you to produce a great show."

We had a very special treat prior to the Friday night performance: a faculty poetry contest judged by a panel of students!  Participating teachers memorized and recited poetry to raise awareness of Poetry Out Loud - the National Recitation Contest that our school participates in each year.  

On January 28, 2012, we performed at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival.  We had a fantastic day of workshops, performances, and recognizing the great work done by all of the schools at the Festival.  Special thanks to Mr. Taber and Ms. Shepley for coming to Emerson to support us!  According to Mrs. Hansen, who saw the production at AMHS: "Last night's drama performance was wonderful and funny beyond belief."

Cam Kenney, Laney Ingalls, Katie Morris, Josh Friday, and Faith Chege were all recognized with awards for Outstanding Acting!

We closed out the school year with our 3rd annual student/faculty musical.  More than sixty students from grades k-12 followed the yellow brick road all the way to the Emerald City!  Our cast also included faculty members Mr. Donovan (Oz)and Mrs. Whitworth (Wicked Witch). In addition, Mr. Taber was the music director, and Mrs. Beddoe played the flute in our pit. 

Our superintendent, Dr. Frieswyk, was very impressed with the production: "I saw it on "opening night" and it truly is delightful!  Thank you to the cast (both on stage and behind the scenes), Abe and Amanda, and to everyone who made a contribution to make this such a memorable event.  The auditorium was just about full to capacity so the support of parents, families, friends and the community has been amazing.  Thank you!!"

We kicked off the 2010-2011 season with Up the Down Staircase, a drama about students and teachers trying to find their way.

On January 29, 2011, we performed at the Emerson High School Drama Festival. The whole day was a ton of fun. There were nine other high schools at the festival: Weston, Westwood, Wellesley, Wayland, Chelsea, Lexington, Boston Arts Academy, Brookline, and Boston Rindge and Latin School. In addition to watching each performance, students participated in workshops ranging from improvisation to stage combat.  The festival is non-competitive; no school is crowned "the winner". However, Allison Blackburn, Devon DeBlois, and Josh Friday were recognized with awards for Outstanding Acting.

On May 13-14, 2011, we performed our second annual student/faculty musical. This was truly a district-wide production, with many students joining us from Butler, as well as the Middle High School. Our cast also included faculty members Mr. Thomas (Daddy Warbucks), Mr. Donovan (President Roosevelt), Mrs. London (Boylan Sister), and Mrs. Mitchell (Judge Brandeis). In addition, Mr. Taber was the music director, and Mrs. Beddoe played the flute in our pit. Our performances were incredibly successful, and the cast did a wonderful job. 

We received lots of positive feedback.  Mrs. Balasco said, "Just a quick note to congratulate you and your theatre group for such a magnificent performance on Saturday night.  I truly enjoyed every minutes and I look forward to many more play sin the future.  I took my daughter and two oldest granddaughters and they loved it, too.  Thanks so much for such a wonderful night.  I can't even imagine how you accomplished what you did."

Dr. Frieswyk sent this message: "It was marvelous! For those of you who had a chance to see it, I'm sure you would agree that those on the stage, behind the scenes and in "the pit" were a true delight. It was so endearing to watch Daddy Warbucks and Annie dance toward the end of the show. Thank you to Amanda and her crew for providing me and the Avon community with a truly memorable night. 

Congratulations to all of you!"

In November 2009, we explored the world of British comedy with Noel Coward's classic play, Blithe Spirit. 

In January 2010, we performed at the Emerson College High School Drama Festival. We had a fantastic time. There were nine other high schools in the festival - Weston, Westwood, Wellesley, Lexington, Chelsea, Boston Arts Academy, Brookline, Wayland, and Belmont. In addition to watching each performance, students participated in workshops ranging from character acting to jazz to swing dancing. 

Our cast received awards for "Outstanding Ensemble" and "Best Cast Chemistry and Cheating Skillz." In addition, Allison Davis received an award for Excellence in Acting.

Our performance at AMHS was also well-received!  Ms. Shepley had this to say: "A hearty congratulations to you, cast and crew. Last night's production was hilariously fun! I enjoyed it so much, I went home with very little mascara left due to all the crying I did from laughing so hard..."

In May 2010, we performed our first student/faculty musical. We put our own spin on this classic musical, setting it in the early 1980's in Kingdom High School. In addition to many middle and high school students, our cast featured faculty members Mrs. Laubinger (chorus), Mrs. London (Queen Maisy), and Mr. Thomas (King Max). Mr. Taber worked in the pit as our musical director and bass player. 

We received lots of positive feedback on this production!  Mrs. Murphy said, "Congratulations to all of you.  The show was terrific.  You should be proud of yourselves."

In November 2008, we performed a short spoof of Romeo and Juliet, a la Dr. Seuss.

Plays suck...At least according to Reason #1 in this hilarious comedy! In May 2009, we had a blast exploring Haehnel's reasons NOT to be in a play.

Featuring This is a Test, Final Dress Rehearsal, and The Actor's Nightmare

Words, Words, Words and The Philadelphia

Jake's Women by Neil Simon

We took this short play to the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival! 

Featuring The Audition is Over, Shut and Bar the Door, and Sure Thing

Bridge to Terabithia by David Paterson

Faith County by Mark Landon Smith

We're All in This Together by Grace Rudolph

The first play Mrs. Pyne directed at AMHS!