Whether you have read Macbeth or Hamlet in your English class, seen a Shakespeare play, participated in Shakespeare Club, or have simply heard of the Bard, you know that William Shakespeare’s legacy is vast. From pop culture references to novels with borrowed plotlines to the halls of SHC, Shakespeare lives on!
This year, the Shakespeare Club held auditions for SHC students to participate in the National Shakespeare Competition by performing a monologue or sonnet from a Shakespeare play. An actor’s performance, judged by Mr. Barnes, Ms. Duffort, and Mr. Morris won first place at SHC, and now the winner will attend a regional competition against other winners in California on Febuary 10th. Winning regionals allows for the opportunity to compete against other state winners in a national contest located in New York City! Salla Grigor, the junior who earned first place at SHC and a spot at regionals, explains that “the top three winners of the national competition can get drama conservatory training at Oxford or a prize of $1000.” Salla’s goal with participating in this competition is not so much to win these prizes, but rather “to grow as an artist…[because] performing Shakespeare requires considerably more interpretation [than modern texts] simply because of the time gap between his era and ours.” Additionally, she thinks that “performing these texts brings them to life in ways they wouldn’t be in…[the] classroom.” Salla won with Benedick’s monologue from Act 2, Scene 3 of Much Ado about Nothing. It’s safe to say that she really raised the bar(d)!
Ava Godtland ‘25, co-president of the Shakespeare Club, expresses a similar view as Salla. When the Emerald asked her to explain what opportunities this competition offers to students, she described that “This competition is an amazing way for students to showcase their creativity through performance interpretations and choices.” Aurora Chen ‘25, the other co-president and host of this competition at SHC, is able to “get a deeper understanding of the work” of Shakespeare as she familiarizes herself “with all the different pieces the contestants have chosen” and “collaborates with the judges…to provide feedback for our contestants.” Whether you are a student wanting to learn more about Shakespeare, gain some performance experience, or meet other like-minded people, you should definitely consider joining Shakespeare Club and compete in this lively competition next year!
