Our Shakespearean teams dominated the Otago Shakespeare competitions held at the end of Term 1. We won the Best Teacher Directed 15 minute piece as well as the Best Student Directed 5 minute scene and will represent Otago at the National Sheila Winn Festival over Queen's Birthday weekend in Wellington.  

Head of Drama, Sarah Spicer directed the winning Othello extract. This Maori/Pakeha interpretation focused on the turmoil of Othello's mind. The mis-communication and barriers of language was powerfully captured by using Maori and English. The school was grateful for the Maori translation of the text, on loan from the Pei Jones whanau. The judges said the performance was emotionally charged and very intense, and Maori was well integrated and very powerful. 

 Year 13 student Luke Major directed the winning Student Directed extract from Love's Labour's Lost. The comedy was set in a Dunedin student flat.The flatmates have decided that girls are strictly off limits during exams, but alas, all of them seem to be in love. It was an audience favourite and the judges remarked on the outstanding physicality and clear understanding of Shakespeare's intentions.

And Year 13 Pippi Miller's Macbeth was awarded Runner up in the Denise Walsh Award for Ensemble Work category. It was highly praised for its dramatic female interpretation.

Congratulations to all of the students involved and the Drama Department.