This year’s National Shakespeare Competition drew in many students from all grades and levels of theatre involvement. The competition is a national high school event run by the English Speaking Union, that PDS competes in annually. Fueled by their passion for Shakespeare and acting, two students will represent PDS at this competition: senior Lily Zebrauskas and junior Krishna Agrawal. The competition begins at the school level and will eventually move to regionals, then nationals. Along the way, students have the chance to win exciting prizes and opportunities, like summer trips to London and New York City. Students wishing to represent PDS on the regional level chose a monologue from a select packet and performed it for a panel. The panel, which consisted of judges from different PDS departments and English teacher Mrs. Jill Brown, looked for three main things: understanding, communication and development. Ms. Brown explained that judges look not only at how dramatic or funny the actor could be, but “does the student understand the text and can they communicate that understanding?”
The two actors selected comedic monologues; Agrawal read Benedict from Much Ado About Nothing, and Zebrauskas chose a monologue from The 12th Night, a play that she “fell in love with” last year and is now currently performing at a local theater.
To memorize the monologue, Zebrauskas sat in her basement and reread the passage over and over again until she knew it. Once she finished that initial hurdle, she “did different angles till she felt what was right for the character.” On the other hand, Agrawal spent the week reviewing the monologue, and then met with Stan Cahill for tips and advice on his performance.
PDS has been involved in this competition for over 30 years, and Mrs. Brown now organizes the initial round. She was first introduced to Shakespeare in 9th grade, and described it as her “great love.” The love of Shakespeare persists throughout the school as students continue to participate, try new things, and have fun with performing.
Zebrauskas and Agrawal are understandably nervous yet excited for the upcoming regional contest where they will be performing their chosen monologues as well as a Shakespearean Sonnet in competition with representatives from other schools in the area. We wish our PDS representatives the best of luck as they advance to the next level!
