Shakespeare, as you may like it

A Polynesian twist will pair with a dark and murderous plot to kill a king when Wairarapa College perform at the annual regional Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival at the school tonight.

The regional festivals will be held in 23 centres throughout New Zealand before April 20. From each of the festivals, a 15-minute entry directed by a teacher and a five-minute student-directed scene is selected for performance at the national festival to be held over Queen's Birthday Weekend in Wellington.

The teacher-directed entry from Wairarapa College is taken from Richard III and director Gavin McEwen said the 15-minute piece is set mainly in Act III with slices added from elsewhere in the play.

He said in Act III the Duke of Gloucester plots to become king and "kills anyone who is in his way". There are 20 senior students involved in the scene.

Romeo and Juliet will have a Polynesian twist with student co-directors Maria Taylor, 17, and Emily Fiu-Poufa, 17, at the helm.

The performance is based around the nurse scene and the pair have taken a Polynesian approach, Ms Taylor said. "We are both Samoan and we decided we wanted to add a new flavour."

It will be the third time they have performed the scene, having first presented it in Year 10 and again in Year 12. Ms Fiu-Poufa said they both have grown to understand the play and the humour far better than when they first performed it.