The drama department represented North Harford well at this year’s North East Theatre Festival. Schools from all over the east coast gathered to compete in plays and or workshops to improve their theatrical skills.

Prior to the festival, students signed up for the classes, workshops, and college visits that they would like to attend. Options included workshops in dancing, singing, stage makeup, costuming, etc., giving attendees the opportunity to gain experience in that particular art.

“I love when my students go to different workshops, so they can tell me things they learn and every once in awhile I try to sit in and see my students perform because I am teaching workshops as well,” said drama teacher Nancy Green.

NETFest was held at Bel Air High School on February 13 and 14, with 20 North Harford students in attendance the first night and 14 the second night.  Students from North Harford have been attending NETFest for an astounding eight years now, and Green plans to attend many more. NETFest is not only open to the drama students, but to anyone interested in theater and invited by Green.

NETFest has been held at Bel Air for the last eight years in order to save the expense for busses

and other necessities that were previously necessary when they attended a different NETFest in Annapolis. Harford County represented NETFest with almost all of its high schools in attendance this year, including some schools that had not attended in the past. Bel Air High School drama teachers Chuck Bowden, Ben Smith, and Terri Matthews organized NETFest and made the whole event possible.

Even though there was great success for North Harford, there was a downside: the terrible winter snow storm that hit Harford County that the students had to drive home in after NETFest. Despite the weather, the workshops and performances on Saturday continued on without a hitch.

North Harford showcased  The Importance of Being Earnest, which was well-received by the audience and the judges in particular. The professors and adjudicators gave them superior scores for their main stage performance, which was the highest and most prestigious score they could have gotten.

“They did an outstanding job on The Importance of Being Earnest and received a standing ovation from their peers on their performance, I am so proud,” said Green.

North Harford also had first place winners in the singing and monologue adjudications.

Senior Alec Presley and junior Scarlet Dare both performed in the singing competition, and seniors Noah League and Sam Piccirilli performed monologues. Presley sang Lonely Room from Oklahoma the Musical and Dare sang Argentina from Evita. League performed an excerpt from Hamlet and Piccirilli performed one of his monologues as the character of Algernon from The Importance of being Earnest.

Senior Ryan Fochler received first place in the improvisation portion of NETFest, which was held on the main stage.

Many other students attended NETFest this year alongside these winners.