The team of young thespians making up Peabody High's drama club, Stage One, took top billing in Ipswich on Saturday to advance to the final round in the 81st Annual Mass. High School Drama Festival.

Stage One is peforming "Alchemy of Desire/Dead Man's Blues" this year for the festival. The production is directed by 2005 PVMHS grad and Stage One alum Stephanie Manning.

The Peabody players, who competed against Salem, Ipswich, Winthrop, Malden and Acton-Boxborough, also came home from the semi-final round this weekend with individual awards for excellence:

• Leandra Romano for the role of "Caroline"
• Shauna Cunningham for the role of "Tirasol"
• Bernie Baldassaro for the role of "Jamie"
• Devon Dunajski and Dalton Delima for Technical Excellence in Lighting

Peabody will be joined at the Back Bay Events Center (the old John Hancock Hall) in Boston, March 22-24, by fellow state finalists Danvers, St. Mary's High School, St. John's Prep, Hamilton-Wenham, Andover, Framingham, Shrewsbury, the Bromfield School, Westford, Chelmsford, Joseph Case, Holliston and Acton-Boxborough.

Stage One performs March 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets will be available online, starting March 15. Each day of the finals is broken into separate session and tickets can be purchase for that day. That Friday, premium seating is $30 for all three shows (Holliston, Peabody, Acton-Boxborough) or $20 for regular seating for the session. You can find more information here.

"Alchemy of Desire/Dead Man's Blues" is written by Caridad Svich and set in the present-day Southern Bayou about a young widow, Simone, who recently lost her husband in a war. The play follows Simone as she deals with the loss of her husband, meanwhile he experiences his own journey in a lost limbo of reality.