2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand and the 24th anniversary of its University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival. Over the last 24 years, more than 95000 secondary students from over half of New Zealand’s secondary schools have participated in the festival. Divided into 13 regional competitions, there are two sections: a 10-15 minute scene and a student directed 4-5 minute scene. In both sections, only Shakespearean text from one play may be used and there must be more than one performer. At the conclusion of each regional festival, a 15 minute scene and a five minute scene are judged to be winners, along with the best performer from a non-winning scene.

The winning scenes go onto compete in the national festival. Regional winners perform at the national festival and students attend workshops, in the hope of being selected for the National Secondary Schools’ Production. Approximately 36 students are chosen from the national festival to participate in the Schools’ Production, a week long series of workshops held in the October school holidays. From the Schools’ Production, 24 students are chosen for the Young Shakespeare Company, which travels to Britain the following year.

This year, the Otago regional festival was held at Maurice Joel Theatre over three nights, with 14 fifteen minute and 10 five minute scenes from 10 secondary schools. Breaking with recent trends, the girls’ schools swept the competition as Queen’s won the 15 minute section and Year 13 OGHS students, Ella Barton and Courtney Drummond won the 5 minute division with their performance from The Taming of the Shrew. Courtney and Ella are off to Wellington for Queen’s Birthday Weekend. We hope to see them selected for the National Secondary Schools’ Production, which returns to Dunedin this year.