Re-Act Players Host Annual Benefit Show
On Friday evening, the Robert Adams Middle School Re-Act Players held their 6th annual “Re-Act Players Give Back” benefit show. Admission was free to all and donations were encouraged at the door, with all proceeds going towards the Holliston Youth & Family Services.
The show was a Broadway musical revue, with performances of songs from over a dozen Broadway musicals and Disney movies.
Maggie and Paige Kuchman perform "Killer Instinct" from Bring It On.
Holliston Youth and Family Services is a municipal department in town that provides mental health services to residents and organizes community outreach programs.
“Since mental health is such a big issue, they wanted to give back,” said Lindsay Hecker, a high school senior who organized the event. “They wanted to help kids and families in difficult circumstances.”
Lindsay said that this is the first year the benefit show supported Holliston Youth and Family Services. In previous years, proceeds from the show have gone to the Holliston Food Pantry, the Holliston Senior Center, and the Dreaming Zebra Foundation, which is a charity that supports arts programs for children and young adults.
Lindsay first helped organize the benefit show six years ago when she was in 7th grade as the community service part of her bat mitzvah project. She said that the first year they raised about $330, but that number has increased every year. Last year, the show raised over $500.
The Re-Act Players perform "When You're An Addams" from The Addams Family.
The Re-Act Players is the after-school drama club at the Robert Adams Middle School. This year, they put on a performance of The Addams Family as their spring musical, and joined the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild (METG) for the first time.
Every year, the METG hosts an awards ceremony for the best student productions in the state, and the Re-Act Players’ production of The Addams Family is nominated for awards in ten categories, including best actor and best actress.
“It’s really exciting,” said Beth Hecker, the director of the Re-Act Players. “We got the most nominations out of any school. Hopefully that’s a good sign, especially considering this is our first year.”
The METG awards ceremony will be held June 10th in Boston.
Publishers' Note: We welcome back Matt Ristaino as an Intern with the Holliston Reporter. Look for the recent Ithaca College graduate at local meetings and events.