PSF's Shakespeare Competition
WELCOME to the 2012 PSF SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION
The PSF Shakespeare Competition empowers participants and cultivates skill development and artistry in language, Shakespeare, and the art and craft of acting.
The Competition provides multiple performance opportunities for students, direct evaluation of each performance by actors and teaching artists from New York and Philadelphia, and observation of peer and university performances. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in workshops and panel discussions with professional artists.
All high school-aged students in public, private, or home school are eligible to participate.
$15,000 in scholarships will be awarded!
THE 2012 PSF SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION WILL BE HELD SATURDAY, MARCH 3RD, 2012 ON THE CENTER VALLEY CAMPUS OF DESALES UNIVERSITY.
It is the responsibility of the school to select which students will represent their school at the PSF Shakespeare Competition. Each team may present three monologues and three duo/trio scenes.
ENTRY FORM
PAYMENT FORM
STUDENT PHOTO RELEASE FORM
GENERAL INFORMATION & COMPETITION GUIDELINES
SAMPLE SCORING: MONOLOGUE DUO/TRIO
Please contact Education Director Jill Arington with any questions:
Jill.Arington@desales.edu
610-282-9455 ext. 9
Competition Guidelines
Material
All selections must be from the plays of William Shakespeare.
Monologues must be 1.5 to 3 minutes (with a 15 second allowance on either end).
Duo/Trio Scenes must be 3 to 5 minutes (with a 15 second allowance on either end).
For monologues, feel free to combine two or more short speeches from the same scene or make an internal cut, as long as connections are smooth and logical. Internal cuts are allowed in scenes as well.
Preparing
Seek roles that you connect with and material with which you feel comfortable.
Discover what your character wants and who he/she wants it from. In playing the scene, fight for it, using the words as one of the primary mechanisms for achieving that aim.
Make sure you are familiar with the whole play and know it well.
Memorize your piece and perform it multiple times for people prior to the competition. Prompting or starting over will not be permitted.
For monologues: Do not direct your focus to the adjudicator. A downstage focus to the slight left or right over the adjudicators head is best.
Simple staging is best. A chair will be available for you to use.
Props should not be used unless it is essential to the action and something you might normally wear or carry such as a handkerchief, a watch, a letter in your pocket, a scarf, a jacket, etc.
Students should speak clearly but naturally. We want to hear your own voice rather than an affected British accent.
Format
You will perform three times at the competition - once in each of three Rounds.
Each Round is split into Panel A and Panel B. The first 45 minutes of the Round, Panel A will present their pieces and then the adjudicator will give feedback. The second 45 minutes of the Round are then for Panel B to present and receive their feedback.
You will be assigned a Participant Number such as "B15" which should be used in your introduction rather than your name.
Sample Monologue Introduction: "Hello I am B15. My piece is from Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 2 and I will be playing Claudius."
Sample Scene Introduction: "Hello we are B16. Our scene is from Measure for Measure, Act 3 Scene 1. I will be playing Isabella and I will be playing Claudio."
Please wait for the adjudicator to write this information down and invite you to begin.
After you perform, transition from your character back into yourself and say, "Thank you," and return to your seat.
Coaches, parents, classmates and friends are welcome to observe in each Round as long as they maintain a quiet respect for each of the participants. Clapping and cheering is not permitted.
Evaluation
Each participant will receive written and oral feedback on their work.
Adjudicators will be observing voice, movement, character, and text.
Each element will contribute to the overall effectiveness rating of Superior, Excellent, Good, or Fair.
Participants will also receive a 1-5 ranking within their panel in order of excellence with 1 being the highest.
These two scores from each of the three Rounds will be tabulated to establish final competition placement.
Throughout the day, adjudicators will be nominating candidates to present their piece in the Showcase.
The Showcase is not necessarily an indicator of final competition placement. Adjudicators select pieces that are in some way unique and of distinctive value for all students present to observe.
What to Wear and Bring
Dress should be neat, comfortable, presentable, and relatively conservative. Do not try to costume yourself, yet be mindful of what your character would or would not wear.
For men: A dress shirt or sweater and dark slacks work well.
For women: A blouse, skirt, or solid-colored dress or slacks, and flat shoes work well.
Make sure your hair is off your face and you are not wearing any dangling or distracting jewelry.
You will be traveling to different buildings on the DeSales University campus throughout the day. Bring comfortable shoes and appropriate seasonal outerwear.
Lunch and Dinner may be purchased in the DeSales University Center or you may pack your meals.
The registration deadline is February 11th 2011.
Please contact Erin Hurley, Education Director with questions, 610-282-WILL, ext. 9.
Registration & Payment Information
The registration deadline is February 11th 2011.
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Please contact Jill Arington, Education Director with questions, 610-282-WILL, ext. 9.
Agenda
2012 Agenda (Coming Soon)
2012 Award Recipients
Monologues
First Place: Pascal Portney as Casca from Julius Caesar
North Penn High School
Second Place: Elizabeth H. McCarthy as Viola from Twelfth Night
The Brookewood School
Third Place: Erica Hutchinson as Lady Anne from Richard III
North Penn High School
Duo/Trio Scene
First Place: Michelle Siddiqui and Britton Hubbard as Kate and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts
Second Place: Edgar Rodriguez and Emma Moreno as Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing
Abington Friends School
Third Place: Jessica Arnold and Diana Rose Weiler as Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page from The Merry Wives of Windsor
North Penn High School
Team Awards
First Place: North Penn High School
Second Place: The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts
Third Place: Abington Friends
Scholarship Awards
$4000 Pascal Portney as Casca from Julius Caesar
North Penn High School
$3000 Emma Moreno as Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing
Abington Friends
$2000 Kerian Pearson as Lady Macbeth from Macbeth
Delaware Valley Friends
$2000 Elizabeth H. McCarthy as Viola from Twelfth Night
Brookewood School
$1000 Britton Hubbard as Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts
$1000 Erica Hutchinson as Lady Anne from Richard III
North Penn High School
$1000 Tessa Kuhn as Julia from The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Friends Select
$1000 Abigail Gillespie as Mrs. Ford from The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts
