Dreaming of Shrews
MEDIA RELEASE
Dreaming of Shrews
Midst lots of midsummer night dreams about shrews, Hamlets and Juliets will strut their stuff on the stage throughout Queen’s Birthday at Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand’s 2005 National Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare in Schools.
Nearly 500 students from 43 schools from Kamo in Northland to Invercargill will descend on Wellington with at least as many supporters to participate in workshops, talks and perform to their peers and the public in Wellington East Girls’ College Hall.
Katherine (Student-Director, actor Rianda Roets) from Gisborne’s Lytton High School states: “Teenage daughters can be a handful, especially when boys are involved. But surely, they can’t be that difficult to control? Decide for yourself as you experience first hand, a typical day in the life of a father of two.”
“It is this relevance to everyday issues that makes Shakespeare so accessible for these young people,” said SGCNZ CEO, Dawn Sanders.
There is also no barrier with regard race, gender and multitalented students being involved. For Wesley College in Auckland, who have taken part only for the last two years, “It has been the most awesome experience. For the second year running one of our students has had the distinction of being chosen for direct entry to [SGCNZ’s week’s long] National Shakespeare Schools Production….Wesley College students are famous for their rugby skills, but we have proved that we are good all-rounders.”
Approaches are as varied as the number of groups. Paraparaumu College’s scene from Henry V is played out as a James Bond thriller, with Henry played as a triumvirate, while Scot’s College’s Henry is almost fascist.
“With scenes this year from seventeen of the Bard’s works, it is great to see the range of plays selected this year,” said Mrs Sanders. “Southland Girls’ High School is presenting a scene from Titus Andronicus, and Northcote College an excerpt from the Third Part of Henry VI.”
Workshop tutors include a collection of New Zealand’s leading theatre practitioners including former SGCNZ International Artistic Resident at the Globe, Peter Hambleton, Dr Raymond Boyce, Sir Jon Trimmer, Dr Ida Gaskin, Robert Oliver, and many practising artists.
The Assessors of the performances will be prominent figures, Vanessa Byrnes, Peter Feeney and James Beaumont.
On the Sunday evening, two students selected from the Australian Shakespeare Schools Festival will perform, followed by members of SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company, who will travel to the Globe to train and perform in July this year. The winners of the Bernina/SGCNZ Shakespeare Costume Design Competition, the Dymocks/SGCNZ Poster Design Competition, and the Dick Smith Electronics/SGCNZ Music Composition Competition will be announced, along with other award winners.
Performances are open to the public on Saturday 4 June from 11.00am till 5.30pm and Sunday 5 June from 9.00am till 4.30pm and 7.00-9.30pm.
Tickets are available by door
sale only Students $4 Adults $6
Wellington East Girls’
College Hall
ENDS
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Saturday 4 June 11.00am
Welcome
1 Wellington Scot's College S
(SD) Henry V I
2 East Coast Lytton High School SD The
Taming of the Shrew II i
3 Manawatu Palmerston North
Boys' High School S As You Like It II
vii
4 Nelson Nayland College S/D The Two Gentlemen of
Verona I.ii
5 Southland Southland Girls' High School S
(SD) Titus Andronicus V ii, iii
6 Kapiti Mana
College S/D A Midsummer Night's Dream III i
Lunch 12.45 (approx) - 1.45pm
7 Marlborough Marlborough Girls'
College S Macbeth V i
8 Wairarapa Wairarapa
College S/D Romeo and Juliet I iii, III
v
9 Wellington Newlands College S Hamlet IV
v
10 Taranaki Spotswood College S/D As You Like It I
iii
11 Auckland North Wentworth College S Richard III I
i,ii
12 Bay of Plenty Bethlehem College S/D Macbeth I
vii
13 South Canterbury Ashburton College S (SD) Much
Ado About Nothing II i
Afternoon Tea 3.30 (approx) - 3.45pm
14 Canterbury St Margaret's & Christ's
Colleges SD Richard III Compilation
15 Waikato Sacred
Heart Girls' College S Macbeth III iv
16 Auckland
Central Epsom Girls' Grammar School S/D King Lear III
vii
17 Rotorua/Lakes John Paul College S Loves Labour's
Lost IV iii, V ii
18 Hawkes Bay Hastings Boys' High
School S/D Julius Caesar III i
19 Otago Kaikorai Vallley
College S The Tempest I i
20 Wellington Upper Hutt
College S/D Romeo and Juliet III i
Concludes 5.30 (approx)
Sunday 5 June 9.00am
21 Canterbury Aranui
High School S A Midsummer Night's Dream II i, II ii, III i,
IV i
22 Auckland South Wesley College S/D Othello III
iii
23 Auckland South Macleans College S Romeo and
Juliet Various extracts
24 Auckland North Northcote
College S/D Third part of King Henry VI I
i
25 Taranaki New Plymouth Girls' High School S (SD) The
Taming of the Shrew II i
26 Rotorua/Lakes John Paul
College S/D Twelfth Night III xvii
Morning Tea 10.30am (approx) - 10.45am
27 Nelson Waimea College S Hamlet III
ii
28 Marlborough Marlborough Girls' College S/D A
Midsummer Night's Dream II i, III ii
29 Bay of
Plenty Tauranga Boys' College S Hamlet V ii
30 Southland
James Hargest School S/D The Taming of the Shrew II
i
31 Wairarapa Rathkeale & St Matthews Senior
Colleges S Cymbeline Various
32 Northland Kerikeri High
School S/D Othello V ii
Lunch 12.15pm (approx) - 1.15pm
33 Auckland Central Mount Albert Grammar
School S Macbeth IV i
34 Manawatu Palmerston Girls' &
Boys' High Schools S/D A Midsummer Night's Dream III
ii
35 Kapiti Paraparaumu College S Henry V II
ii
36 Otago Kavanagh College S/D Much Ado About
Nothing III i
37 Hawkes Bay Hastings Boys' High
School S Hamlet I v
38 South Waikato Te Awamutu
College S/D The Taming of the Shrew II i
Afternoon Tea 2.45pm (approx) - 3.00pm
39 Northland Kamo High
School S A Midsummer Night's Dream III i
40 South
Canterbury Ashburton
College S/D Macbeth Various
41 South Waikato Tokoroa
High School S (SD) Twelfth Night II v, III ii, III iv, IV
ii
42 Waikato Hillcrest High School S/D Macbeth II
ii
43 East Coast Lytton High School S A Midsummer
Night's Dream II i,ii, III i,ii, IV i, V i
Excerpts
Concludes 4.20pm (approx) Brief comments from Assessors & Notices
International Festival Showcase 7.00-7.45 (approx)
SGCNZ YSC 2005 Performances
SGC
Australia Performance
Interval 7.45-8.00pm (approx)
Award Ceremony 8.00-9.30pm (approx)
Presentation
of Competition Awards
Presentation
of Certificates
Presentation of Performance
Awards
***Attendance by participating students is
expected at all performance sessions***
*In line with
theatre protocol, all performers must be ready half an hour
prior to their allocated time slot
*We often run
slightly early, so supporters should be advised to come for
whole sessions - start times will be retained
* Times
are extremely approximate and should be used as a rough
guideline only - Enter only between
scenes*