The Shakespeare Carnival - Regional Round Results at Burwood Girls High School
The Shakespeare Carnival - Regional Round Results at Burwood Girls High School
Last Monday the 13th of May, 11 students performed for a NSW state wide competition called The Shakespeare Carnival. Students from schools across the state have competed in a competition that allows budding thespians, and lovers of the stage to be able to immerse themselves within Shakepseare’s works. Even in today’s modern world, we are able to resonate with the stories, characters and overall themes of his plays. Within different categories, students were able to show their talent in interpreting the wordsmith himself, or show their own self expression through their own original creations.
We had students from across Years 7-12 perform and we wish to congratulate the following students for their participation to be part of this learning experience, to see the calibre of talent within other schools and allows us to test the mettle of our students that have braved unfamiliar territory with entering this competition for the first time:
Category: Smart Phone Short Film
Based on Hamlet
- Emily Burchmore
- Dharshini Mahesh
- Saumya Punj
- Lauren Renouf
- Helli Vyas
Category: Group Devised
Based on King Lear Act 1 Scene 1
- Kaitlin Cragg
- Crissabella Magayaga
- Georgia Nash
- Annabel Zaroutski
Category: Duologue
Extract from Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2
- Mackenzie Jones
- Arya Sawhney
Along with St Andrews College Marayong entering the competition for the first time, we have had our Smart Phone Short Film entry, made by our Year 8 students, win equal first place in their category in the Regional Competition. This was along with Sydney Girls High School. This means those students make it to the State Grand Final on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of June where students get the chance to see their film presented in the Seymour Centre.
We wish our winners all the best of luck for the Grand Final.
With great anticipation and excitement,
Miss Christina Rujicica
Teacher of Drama and English
The following are some words from our participants, where they themselves are able to share their thoughts of the evening and their passions for Drama:
The Shakespeare carnival was an unforgettable night, everyone there was so supportive of each other and it was so easy to perform for them. I definitely recommend signing up for project performance for anyone in the future as it not only brought happy memories for me and my peers, but also helped develop our skills in acting and performing.
- Annabel Zaroutski, Year 9
The Shakespeare carnival was a wonderful experience, as we learnt new acting techniques and got feedback on our performance that will better our acting in future projects. All the people there were so kind. Other school performances were so entertaining to watch, and I would hundred percent attend many more times in the future. I definitely recommend joining Project Performance so both you and your friends can have a great time at events like this.
- Kaitlin Cragg, Year 9
With the guidance of the drama teachers, Ms Rujicica and Mr Lewandowski, it was a thrilling experience to create such a piece. None of us have ever been part of an event like this and created a short film before. On the night of the Regional JOVE Shakespeare Carnival, my stomach was doing backflips. I had so much anxiety since we were competing with seniors who had so much more experience than us. Besides that, though, it was such an amazing night; especially seeing the other school performances. A lot of them were so hilarious. However, when St Andrews came on, all we could think about was supporting them. “GO ST ANDREWS MARAYONG!” we screamed. Finally, it came down to our category; when it was our turn to show our film, we were all scared and nervous. Honestly, I was covering my eyes and ears because I thought people would laugh at us. To my shock, it was the opposite. When our film ended, everyone started clapping and I started drowning in the applause. Later, the judges came up. My anxiety came waltzing back in. Would we lose? Would we win? I still remember their words; “It was very hard to judge. One was very montage-based, while the other was very story-based. However, we will give first place to both films, having them go through”. Our story-based film actually made it though! All of our blood, sweat and tears actually did something! I was about to leap out of my seat when I heard the news. I thought I was dreaming. On the way back, I plugged in my headphones and started to reminisce upon the wonderful memories we had made that night and dream about what might happen soon, and maybe even when I’m an adult. I think I’ve grown as a performer, and so has my wonderful team. Honestly, find the stage my second home.
- Saumya Punj, Year 8
I loved this experience, it was thrilling and I will learn so much from it. From communicating with others to making connections and time management. We also learn more about each and everyone personally even though most of us are good friends. We spend a lot of time working and I think that we can agree that from all of us the one with the most stress was Saumya. She was up day and night and volunteered to write the script she sorted out so much for our team.
- Helli Vyas, Year 8
I absolutely loved the Shakespeare carnival, not only did we get to show something that we created together but we got to see so many amazing, creative, and epic performances! Going to the Shakespeare carnival gave me so much joy and I felt like I was in my element. I’m super grateful I was able to go along with everyone who participated and even more grateful for the amazing experience with my friends.
- Emily Burchmore, Year 8
The Shakespeare carnival was a great night. It was wonderful to watch the performances of many other drama lovers, laughing and being awed by all the hilarious and inspiring performances. When it was our turn it was great to see our work up on the big screen for the crowd to appreciate and the judges to give us feedback for the state finals.
- Lauren Renouf, Year 8
I felt like at the start, it would be difficult to create a film but me and my team managed to go through the Regional JOVE Shakespeare carnival, I felt relieved and happy. I would like to congratulate my teammates, especially Saumya, for her amazing directorial work. She was up all day and night just to make this right. If you want to do all of this and experience what it would be like to join the Shakespeare Carnival, project performance is the place to be in or pick drama as an elective subject.
- Dharshini Mahesh, Year 8
