Pupils strut, fret their hour upon stage

King’s High School pupils Gregor Watts (left), as Helena, and Harvey Rawlings, as Demetrius, perform in a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream during the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival 2024 at the King’s and Queen’s Performing Arts Centre in Dunedin...

Quinn Wilson (left), as Laertes, and Ren Williamson, as King Claudius, both of Logan Park High School, act in a scene from Hamlet

Danielle Daley, as Laertes, delivers her lines, watched on by Kara Pullar (left), as Queen Gertude, and April Kerr, as King Claudius, in St Hilda’s Collegiate School’s performance from Hamlet during the Regional Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival 2024...

Olivia Edmonds takes on the role of Witch 3 in Otago Girl’s High School’s performance of Macbeth.

Lola Murphy, of St Hilda’s Collegiate channels as Romeo, from Romeo and Juliet.

Pupils from 11 Otago high schools yesterday took part in the Regional Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival at the King’s and Queen’s Performing Arts Centre.

King’s High School, St Hilda’s Collegiate, Otago Girls’ High School, Logan Park High School, Bayfield High School, John McGlashan College, Columba College, Kaikorai Valley College, Mount Aspiring College, Trinity Catholic College and Queen’s High School took part in the event.

Pupils performed five and 15-minute excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays, competing to participate at this year’s National Festival in Wellington.

Pupils act, compose music, serve as a crew, write essays and create costumes, posters, static images and DVD covers for their performances — the majority of which are pupil-directed.

Event organiser Debbie Vercoe said the festival went well and there were some great efforts and displays by pupils.

Results were.—

Best 15-minute scene: King’s High School, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Runner-up: Logan Park High School, As You Like It.

Best 5-minute scene: Trinity Catholic College, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act III, Scene 2. Runner-up: Trinity Catholic College, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act II, Scene 2.

Direct entry to National Shakespeare Schools Performance (NSSP): Phoebe Harris (Trinity Catholic College). Runner-up: Millabeene Turnbull (Logan Park High School).

Otago regional awards.—

Denise Walsh Memorial Trophy best ensemble: Trinity Catholic College, The Tempest.

Terry MacTavish Award for outstanding stage performance: Jessica Mundy, Edgar, King Lear (Columba College).

Judges’ discretionary special awards.—

Excellent realisation of character: Nuala Kelly (Trinity Catholic College), Hermia, and Alice Johnston (Columba College), Beatrice.

Excellent realisation of text: Isaac Tili (Trinity Catholic College), Lysander.

Student director: Harper Milne and Reid Penwarden (John McGlashan College), HenryV.

Overall design: Bayfield High School, Romeo and Juliet.

Use of sound: Trinity Catholic College, A Midsummer Night’s Dream fairies.

Comedy: Ciana McIvor (Trinity Catholic College), Maria, Twelfth Night.

Chorus: Columba College, King Lear.

Stage combat: Queen’s High School, Twelfth Night.