Dressed in ancient garb and speaking a long-forgotten tongue, Bethlehem College students Ellie Creek and Joel Hastings look like they've stepped back in time.
The duo have learned the language of William Shakespeare and will be acting out a scene from his play Much Ado About Nothing in this year's National University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.
Year 13 student Laurence Dean put on his director's hat and has guided Ellie and Joel through the Shakespearean language to earn a place in the festival being held in Wellington this Queen's Birthday Weekend.
Laurence, an aspiring actor himself, took part in last year's festival and was selected from 3000 students involved in the annual competition to travel to London and perform at the Globe theatre.
He said the festival was a good way to "develop your acting abilities" while "exploring the artistic language of Shakespeare".
"I adore Shakespeare, just everything about it really and this competition is a way young actors can perform and get excellent acting experience."
Ellie said she was really looking forward to seeing other schools perform and interpret Shakespeare.
Bethlehem College won the student-directed section of the regional competition and Tauranga Boys' College won the teacher-directed section.
Seventeen students from Tauranga Boys' College will perform a 15-minute excerpt from Hamlet and lead actor Brayden Jeffrey is really looking forward to the weekend away.
Brayden, 17, has competed in the festival four times and this year hopes to shine in his portrayal of Hamlet and grab a spot in the week-long course at the Globe theatre next year.
The students from Tauranga Boys' College and Bethlehem College will compete against 500 other students from 42 schools from around the country.
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