Some of the 17-strong cast of Titus Andronicus - the winning play from Hamilton Boys' High School - during a break. They will represent Waikato at the National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington over the King's Birthday weekend . Photo / Dean Taylor
Some of the 17-strong cast of Titus Andronicus - the winning play from Hamilton Boys' High School - during a break. They will represent Waikato at the National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington over the King's Birthday weekend . Photo / Dean Taylor
The festival’s name is almost as long as a Shakespeare play.
But the power of The Bard was to the fore on Friday when Te Awamutu College hosted the Waikato Regional Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn (SGCNZ UOSW) Shakespeare Festival.
Drama teacher and SGCNZ regional representative Morag Carter said it was an awesome opportunity for students to explore Shakespeare’s works through performance.
It was the second time the college has hosted the festival as it rebuilds from the disruption of Covid-19 which sent the festival into digital mode in 2020-22.
Cambridge High School Year 13 students Nicole Nelson and Lyra Slaughter performing a scene, which they also directed, from Measure for Measure. Photo / Dean Taylor
But it was back on stage and well and truly live performance for 121 students from nine schools on Friday.
They performed five and 15-minute scenes from 10 Shakespeare plays for assessors Graeme Cairns, Maria Eaton and Anne Stuart-Menteath.
The trio commented on the difficulty they had selecting ‘winners’ due to the high standard and also said they enjoyed the variety of performances.
Sacred Hearts Girls' College girls in a scene with the three witches and Hecate from Macbeth, from left: Evian Gilgren, Finleah McCall, Emily Stringer and Raivenne Sarmiento. Photo / Dean Taylor
Even when there were scenes that were ‘repeated’ by different schools, each one was different in the presentation and performance.
Carter described it as a fantastic festival and said the standard was a step up from 2023, with some exceptionally creative and innovative performances.
Te Awamutu College students, from left: Divija Modi, Isabella Tyer and Amelia Waghorn as The Witches in Macbeth. Photo / Dareeya Mickell
“I was very proud of the Year 10 drama students, who not only presented a short scene for the other performers while the judges deliberated, but rehearsed and performed their version of Macbeth’s second encounter with the witches as part of the Festival,” she said.
The students were Denzel Stevens (Macbeth), Isabella Tyer (Witch 1), Amelia Waghorn (Witch 2) and Divija Modi (Witch 3).
“I’m looking forward to working with these students again in the future,” said Carter.
This year is the 33rd festival season, commencing with 32 regional events, followed by the national festival held over King’s Birthday weekend in Wellington.
Actors from Hillcrest High School during their break.Photo / Dean Taylor
From there, selected students would participate in the National Schools’ Shakespeare Production in the August school holidays, leading to potential selection for the Young Shakespeare Company, which travels to London every April to study and perform at the Globe Theatre.
Winners from the Waikato Shakespeare Festival were:
5 Minute performance – Hamilton Girls’ High School – The Tempest
15 Minute performance – Hamilton Boys’ High School – Titus Andronicus
Direct Entry to NSSP – Raphael Ferdinands – St John’s College
