National Shakespeare Competition

16,000 Students Speaking Shakespeare!

In the English-Speaking Union's National Shakespeare Competition, 16,000 students and 2,000 teachers from across the United States participated in a curriculum-based program designed to help high school students develop their communications skills and appreciation of language and literature, through the study, interpretation and performance of Shakespeare's monologues and sonnets.

On the Shakespeare's 443rd birthday, the grand finale was held at Lincoln Center.

Congratulations to Adam Brown from the Youth Performing Arts School in Kentucky (First Place), Jeweline Hale from the Curie Metropolitan High School in Chicago (Second Place), and Kristopher Dean from the North Penn High School in Philadelphia (Third Place) and all the amazingly talented participants.

Click here to see Adam Brown's awe-inspiring performance of (1) Sonnet 130, (2) Shylock from The Merchant of Venice (Act III, Scene 1, lines 53-73 with cuts), and (3) his cold reading of Berowne from Love's Labour's Lost. With this brilliant performance Adam won a scholarship provided by the British American Drama Academy (BADA) to their four-week Midsummer in Oxford drama program in classical theater.

You can view the performances of the ten finalists here as well.