Shakespeare fans, actors come together for Shakespeare competition

Mindful+Monologue--+Senior+Elena+Jimenez-McDermott+recites+a+passage+from+A+Midsummer+Night%E2%80%99s+Dream.+The+competition+was+held+in+the+library+on+February+13.+

Mindful Monologue– Senior Elena Jimenez-McDermott recites a passage from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The competition was held in the library on February 13.

Grace Libucha, Staff Writer

The second annual Shakespeare Speaking Competition was held on February 13 after school in the library. Nine student competitors read, analyzed, and performed Shakespearean monologues or sonnets. Among the participants, there were six freshmen who competed, some of which with little to no experience reading Shakespeare. The competitors put forth their best effort in memorizing and dramatically reciting these passages.

At the school level competition, students must choose a monologue to learn of 20 lines or fewer from a published packet. The monologues come from a variety of Shakespeare’s plays and cover a wide range of emotions and characters.

Freshman Jack Dunphy won first place in the school’s competition, and will now advance to the English Speaking Union (ESU) branch competition alongside runner-up Medha Arora. The branch competition will be held in Greenwich, Connecticut. Dunphy decided to participate due to his love for acting and drama. He had roles in both the fall play, The Crucible, and the spring production of Fiddler on the Roof.

“I overall used this experience to practice the memorization of a monologue or sonnet, as well as learning how to portray a character. You must interpret the situation they are in, think about emotion as well as any physical aspects you want the character to portray, and finally what you want the audience to take away from your performance,” Dunphy said.

Freshman Medha Arora was the runner-up at the competition, and will be attending the ESU branch competition with Dunphy. Arora recited a monologue from Antony and Cleopatra, and Dunphy recited a passage from Henry VI Part III.

“From this experience, I gained the skill of being able to understand and dissect Shakespeare’s writing. I will definitely participate next year, and I hope to do even better when I do so,” Arora said.

English Department Leader Amy Miller first expressed an interest in bringing this competition to Farmington last year, at the first school competition.

“When I began last year as English department leader, I brought my experience with this competition with me. At my former school, it was a big deal, and I was excited to share the experience with students here at FHS,” Miller said.

Miller views the competition as a way for students to involve themselves with classic literature, rather than extravagant acting performances. The goal of the event is to demonstrate their understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s words, which is why costumes, props, and accents are not allowed. Instead, students are encouraged to analyze their monologues and use their interpretation of the text’s themes to guide their presentation.

Senior Aaron Robair was the student announcer for the event. Robair, also heavily involved in the theater department, saw this experience as an opportunity to entertain the audience, as well as gain more exposure to Shakespeare’s theatrical style.

“Being an emcee for the Shakespeare Competition was an incredibly fun experience, as it provided me an opportunity to entertain an audience.  All the student performances were truly astounding,” Robair said.