The original Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild began in 1931 with the establishment of “Massachusetts Drama Day.”  Four schools participated in the original competition, which was held at the old Huntington Chambers building in Copley Square.  With that festival, the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild (“MHSDG”) was established.  The year 1954 marked the beginning of two important corporate partnerships with the Guild:  The Boston Globe became our lead patron, and John Hancock Hall became one of the festival’s sponsors.  It was also in this year that the festival was relocated to John Hancock Hall, where it has remained ever since. 

The first Middle School Drama Festival in Massachusetts was held in the spring of 1995 at the Belmonte Middle School in Saugus.  The festival started with a theatre workshop for all students, followed by a monologue showcase and concluding with performances by participating schools.  The Massachusetts Middle School Drama Festival, Inc. was formed to assist in the preparation and planning of the yearly event.   During the 1998-1999 school year, the Massachusetts Middle School Drama Festival, Inc. and the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild, Inc. merged.  Since then, the Guild has increased its membership to well over 150 schools across the Commonwealth. 

In 2010, the membership voted to rename the organization the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, Inc. to better reflect our mission to celebrate, support, and champion students, teachers, and artists. 

For over 90 years, the METG has sought to further excellence in theater performance, production, and education among students of both middle and secondary schools in Massachusetts.  The METG now boasts a full range of proven successful programs to its 150 high school and middle school members, to help launch and develop fledgling drama programs in underserved schools; certified professional development workshops for teachers; professional training workshops for students; state-wide drama festivals; musical theater awards-including participation in the National High School Musical Theater Awards (AKA “The Jimmy Awards); technical assistance for schools to develop their performance spaces; performance and technical scholarship programs for high school seniors; and playwriting, scene partner, and other design contests for students.  These programs actively engage over 5,000 students and teachers throughout Massachusetts, and more than 5,000 friends and family members attend the festivals every year.