2 minute read
Shakespearean Success Continueth in 2021
Tobey Martin (as Richard) and Isla Sangl.
Rebecca Weatherly (as Duchess of York) and Isla Sangl (as Queen Elizabeth) in Richard III. Isla Sangl, Tobey Martin and Rebecca Weatherly.
PERFORMING ARTS
Shakespearean success continueth in 2021
Over the last few years, Kristin students have enjoyed great success at the Regional and National SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festivals, and this year’s participants plan to continue that growing tradition.
Almost 40 students from the Middle and Senior schools chose to take part in the Regional Festival, hoping to impress their audience with their innovative and creative versions of scenes from a range of Shakespeare’s plays.
Led by Mrs Sykes, Mrs Pitout and Miss Johnston, nine groups of students spent Term 1 embracing all things Shakespearean as they created and crafted their scenes. Then, on 11 April, those students and many others from a number of schools around Auckland performed 5- and 15-minute scenes from a wide variety of Shakespeare’s plays in Kristin’s Dove Theatre. A total of 22 scenes were presented during the Festival, and audiences were treated to a wide range of comedic, tragic and powerful performances. At the awards ceremony after the final performance, assessors Ravi Gurunathan and Mustaq Missouri commented on the quality of all the performances and performers they had seen, before announcing awards that recognised achievement in a number of creative and performance areas.
It was thrilling to find that one of our Kristin groups had been chosen as the Best 5-Minute Scene at the Festival for their scene from Richard III. This meant that Year 12 students Tobey Martin, Isla Sangl (who also directed the scene) and Rebecca Weatherly would perform their scene again at the National Shakespeare Festival held in Wellington over Queen’s Birthday Weekend.
This award is a testament to the hard work and creativity of our students, the support and encouragement of our parents and the dedication of our Drama teachers. The students who travel to Wellington for the National Shakespeare Festival will take part in a wide variety of workshops, enjoy a huge range of performances and make connections that will last a long time.
Participation in the Regional Festival has given so many of our students an opportunity to create and perform based on their own ideas and interests, and their successes are a reflection of their resilience and commitment over a term that has been challenging and yet, ultimately, extremely rewarding.
RICHARD III
Leigh Sykes
