March 2, 2023 – Submitted by Hingham High School Drama, photos by Joshua Ross
HHS Drama is presenting THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE by Bertolt Brecht for the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild One Act Play Festival. The METG is a 90 year old organization of high schools celebrating the bestĀ of student theatre, and the Festival is a multi-tiered competition of over 120 member schools across the state.
THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE is a retelling of a Chinese fable and an Old Testament story from King Solomon. In the CaucasusĀ Mountains of Georgian Russia, a Governor is overthrown and executed. His vapid and vain wife leaves behind their baby, in her haste to pack her clothes and shoes. A kitchenĀ maid saves the child and raises him as her own for two years – until the Governor’s wife comes back to claim her son for his inheritance. The trial over which mother the child belongs to is settled by a corrupt and comedic judge. The show is a classic example of a movement called “Epic Theatre”, which seeks to draw attention to social issues and compel their audiences to act. Here, Director Mo Fish has set the show in a modern day Ukrainian refugee camp in Poland, raising the question “Who is worthy of owning anything – those who will exploit, or those who will nurture?”
Hingham will be performing their show at Marshfield High School at 4:30 pm this Saturday, March 4. Other schools performing at this site includeĀ Marshfield, Norwell, Duxbury, Weymouth, Hanover, Hull, and UrsalineĀ Academy, all bringing unique and compelling theatre to share. Tickets are available at the door for $15 for the entire day of shows, beginning at 9:00 am.