All their world’s a stage

Shakespeare comes to Te Awamutu tomorrow.

Te Awamutu College will host Friday’s Waikato Regional Sheilah Winn Shakespeare festival – and it will be the first opportunity students have had to gather face to face since Covid intervened two years ago.

The Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ University of Otago event has been in digital mode during that time.

Schools taking the Waikato challenge of preparing five and 15 minute scenes from Shakespeare plays include Cambridge High, Hillcrest High, St John’s College, Sacred Heart Girls’, Hamilton Girls’ High, Hamilton Boys’ High, Te Aroha College and Te Awamutu College.

A total of 32 regional events – in the 32nd year of the event – will lead up to a national festival over King’s Birthday Weekend in Wellington.

Selected students will then participate in the National Schools Shakespeare Production in the August school holidays leading to potential selection for the Young Shakespeare Company which travels to London every April to study and perform at the Globe Theatre, London.

Last year, Year 13 Te Awamutu student Sophie Jackson was selected to participate in the National Schools’ Shakespeare Production (NSSP) held in Dunedin.

After a controversial decision by Creative NZ to not fund last year’s festival the Ministry of Education stepped in to enable the festival to continue.

The regional Shakespeare in Waipā will be at Te Awamutu College from 10am –2pm tomorrow and is open to the public for a small door charge.