Te Awamutu College will host the Waikato Regional Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival on April 5.
It is the second time the college has hosted the festival as it rebuilds from the Covid disruptions that sent it into digital mode between 2020 and 2022.
Year 12 Te Awamutu College students, from left, Avé Culpan, Millie Thackray, Grace Armstrong and Martha Newland performed an excerpt from Much Ado About Nothing last year.
Eight schools have taken up the challenge of preparing five and 15 minute scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. They are Cambridge High School, Sacred Heart Girls’ College, Hamilton Girls’ and Boys’ high schools Waihi College, St Paul’s Collegiate (Hamilton), Hillcrest High School and hosts Te Awamutu College
This year is the 33rd festival season and starts with 32 regional events, followed by the National Festival; held over King’s Birthday Weekend in Wellington.
From there selected students will 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, London.
Te Awamutu College’s Lily Dixon, James Crowhurst, Rylee Phillips and Kayla Chubb were Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the festival last year. Photo: Sam Salcedo.
“This is such an awesome opportunity for students to explore Shakespeare’s works through performance,” said drama teacher Morag Carter.
“It’s always interesting to see different interpretations of the plays and how they ‘hit’ despite being over 400 years old”
The regional festival will be held in the Te Awamutu College School hall from 10am – 2pm and is open to the public.
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