Shakespeare Competition

Empowering Participants and Cultivating Skill Development

Main General Info Guidelines Registration Agenda

Welcome to PSF’s Annual Shakespeare Competition

The PSF Shakespeare Competition empowers participants and cultivates skill development and artistry in language, Shakespeare, and the art and craft of acting.

This year’s competition provides students the opportunity to receive feedback on their work by actors and teaching artists from New York and Philadelphia. 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 2025 PSF Shakespeare Competition will be held on Saturday, March 8, 2025 on the campus of DeSales University. The event will include workshops, panel discussion with artists, performance showcase, and award ceremony. View “General Info” and “Guidelines” tab for more information on registration.

Please contact PSF Education Director, Anelise Rodriguez, with any questions:
education@pashakespeare.org
610-282-9455 ext. 1630

General Information:

Click Here to Download General Information Document

Questions? 610.282.WILL x 1630 education@pashakespeare.org

Mission Statement

The PSF Shakespeare Competition empowers participants and cultivates skill development and artistry in language, Shakespeare, and the art and craft of acting.

Description

Grounded in direct engagement with Shakespeare’s text, the Competition provides multiple performance opportunities, direct evaluation of each performance by working theatre professionals and observation of peer performances. Any high school-aged student of a public, private school, or home school is eligible to participate in the competition, registering through their school. The registration fee covers participation in all rounds of the competition, workshops, and the panel discussions with professional artists. Panel topics may include: choosing your text, headshots, working in the theatre, and majoring in theatre.

Scholarships and Awards

Four or more partial DeSales University Performing & Fine Arts scholarships will be awarded to outstanding participants. These scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000 and are renewable for each of the four years a student would attend the University as a Theatre student. First, second and third place awards will also be given in both Mono and Duo/Trio. Finally, a first, second, and third place Team Award will be given. Throughout the day, adjudicators will be nominating candidates to present their piece in the Showcase that are of distinctive value for all students present to observe. Participation in the Showcase does not affect final competition placement but will aid in identifying scholarship recipients.

NOTE: High schools seniors who will have applied to, been accepted by, and received a financial aid package from DeSales University by the time of the Competition may be limited to a maximum possible additional DeSales University scholarship from the Competition of $1,000 per year.

Cost

The cost for the competition is $25 per student participant. If you wish to bring non-competing students in your group to participate in the workshops, the cost is $10 per student.

Regulations

Material must be from William Shakespeare’s plays. Schools may enter three Monologues and three Duo/Trio scenes. The same student may not be entered in both Monologues and Duo/Trio scenes. It is the responsibility of the school to select which students will present their Monologues or Duo/Trio Scenes at the PSF Shakespeare Competition. Schools may wish to hold their own preliminary screening to select participants.

Entry forms must be processed in February 2025.

Evaluation

Each of the Monologues and Duo/Trio scenes will be presented three times, once in each of three rounds, evaluated by three separate adjudicators. Oral critiques will be given by the adjudicators in each round. (Ratings and rankings will not be disclosed but running time may be given on request.) Any contestant not participating in all three rounds will be disqualified and no Team Points will be awarded.

For more information on evaluation, please see our Guidelines for Students and Coaches.

Hosts and Sponsors

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival hosts this event with the support of DeSales University as a part of PSF’s Linny Fowler WillPower Education Programs, made possible by a generous gift from Marlene “Linny” Fowler.

Guidelines

Click Here to Download Guidelines Document

Material

• All selections must be from the plays of William Shakespeare. • Monologues must be 1.5 to 3 minutes.

• Duo/Trio Scenes must be 3 to 5 minutes.

• Timing begins after the introduction. Any participant going more than fifteen seconds under time or over time in two of the three rounds will be penalized in the final tabulation of their score.

• 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 you feel comfortable with. • 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 adjudicator’s 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 30 minutes of the round, Panel A will present their pieces and then the adjudicator will give feedback. The second 30 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 out of character 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, cheering, and photography/video recording are 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 numerical 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.

• The Showcase will aid in determining scholarship recipients.

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.

• A dress shirt, blouse or sweater, slacks, or solid colored dress/skirt 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.

• The cafeteria at the University Center will likely be CLOSED for DSU’s spring break. We recommend packing your lunch, but there are also several quick options in close proximity to campus.

Sample Monologue Adjudication Sheet

Sample Duo/Trio Adjudication Sheet