The Bromfield Drama Society’s presentation of the play Getting Out by Marsha Norman was recently accepted into the final round of competition in the 2007 Massachusetts High School Drama Festival. The drama group will compete against 14 other high schools for first prize during a three-day competition starting Thursday, March 29, at 6 p.m. in the Back Bay Events Center. Bromfield is scheduled to perform at 2 p.m. Friday, March 30, and awards will be presented Saturday, March 31, at 8:30 p.m.

Lily Narbonne’s “Arlene” (right) comes to terms with the bitterness of her mother, played by Alisia Bonnell, in Getting Out by Marsha Norman. (Photos by Rob Williams)

Lily Narbonne and Katie Croyle are ex-convicts Arlene and Ruby.

Jack Fellows protrays"Carl" planning his prison escape to New York City.

The Bromfield Drama Society began the competition as one of 109 entrants in this year’s festival. After numerous practice performances and untold hours in rehearsal, the ensemble advanced to the finals after two rounds of competition that began March 3. Bromfield teacher and play director Michael McGarty, a veteran of many festival finals, said in an interview Wednesday that this one stands out from all the others.

“This is the best year I’ve had in all the years I’ve been doing this,” McGarty said. “This is the most widely talented group I’ve ever had.”

Bromfield has already garnered a remarkable number of awards in the drama guild contest, according to McGarty. Of the 11 prize categories, Bromfield is represented in five. At the Saturday night awards ceremony, freshman Peter Young will receive an honorable mention in the logo design category, and senior Aidan Kinney will accept a second-place prize in the senior scholarship acting award category for his performance of a monologue from the play Jack and Jill. Seniors Lily Narbonne and Katie Croyle, who have key acting parts in Getting Out, will both receive honorable mention awards in the scholarship audition category. In addition, senior Reed Harasimowicz won an honorable mention in the set design contest for his staging of the play JB, and senior Mary Ferrillo won the same award for her conception of set design for Still Life with Iris. The final award, for best original play, will be given to the advanced acting class McGarty taught last year. The 21 students in the class created the play Colossus.

The Massachusetts High School Drama Festival is the largest event sponsored by the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild. The festival, started in 1931, began as a competition among four high schools. It now hosts more than 3,000 students from 109 high schools across the state.