Two Havelock North students picked for national Shakespeare production in Dunedin

Oliver Price-Walker, second from left, and Lola Kidd, far right, have been chosen to attend the national production in Dunedin in September. Photo / File

Two Havelock North High School students have been chosen to attend a national Shakespeare production in Dunedin.

Lola Kidd and Oliver Price-Walker are two of 48 students selected from around New Zealand to attend the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand's (SGCNZ) National Shakespeare Schools Production (NSSP) in late September.

Price-Walker was chosen from the SGCNZ e-National University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.

Kidd had already been announced as a direct entry student to SGCNZ NSSP for her performance in the SGCNZ Regional Festival earlier in the year.

Ryan Hartigan from the University of Otago, Wellington actor Salesi Le'ota and John Gardyne from London via Zoom assessed the student's performances.

The selectors for the NSSP were SGCNZ Alumni: Alexander Sparrow, Katie Boyle and Cassandra Tse.

Gardyne said Price-Walker's performance "was easy but retained the complexity of his character effectively, with a well-assured delivery he formed an excellent connection with the audience."

Given the students had to submit performances via video due to Covid-19 disruptions, this was especially impressive.

Over the week the students will work with three different professional directors and put on three 40-minute Shakespeare play performances.

There will be 5 days of rehearsals where they will learn lines followed by two public performances at the University of Otago College of Education Hall on October 2 and 3.