The Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s Musical Theater Awards resumed this year after a five-year hiatus.
Lynnfield Middle School’s production of Beauty and the Beast Jr., which ran Feb 9-11, won one award and was nominated for two others.
Belle Maccini won METG’s award for Best Leading Actor (Middle School) for the role of Belle in Lynnfield Middle School’s production of Beauty and the Beast Jr.
The production was also nominated for two other awards: Acting Ensemble, recognizing the quality of acting amongst the entire cast and Best Supporting Actor (Middle School) for Colin Morrison, in his role of Gaston.
Drama Director at Lynnfield Middle School Shay Wainwright said LMS Drama has been nominated for and received awards from the METG in the past, but this was the first award ceremony since 2019.
“For me, the best part of being nominated for three awards was the recognition of the kids’ hard work,” Wainwright said. “We had such a good time doing the show, and the cast and crew were very supportive of one another. I believe the award nominations were a direct result of the community they created both onstage and off.”
She said Maccini’s award for Best Leading Actor is important to the LMS drama program because it a “public appreciation of what we do. There is so much talent on Lynnfield’s stages, and it is such a joy to see that talent recognized and celebrated.
“The judges who came to view Beauty and the Beast Jr. spoke especially highly of Belle’s generosity as an actor, the way she supported her partners in every scene, which is one of the hardest parts of an actor’s job,” Wainwright added.
As her director, she said she saw the hard work Maccini put into the role and the development of her character throughout the rehearsal process. “I think that showed in her performance.”
LMS Drama runs during the school year and will perform a musical during February 2025 and a play in the spring of 2025.
Lynnfield Community Schools is doing a production of Descendants this upcoming July and will feature students from elementary school to high school as both the cast and crew.