Ushini Attanayake convincing Lady Macbeth

By day she's a demure high school student who excels in her schoolwork and likes to sing.

By night she's an avid thespian, a conniving Lady Macbeth with blood on her hands.

Acting allows 16-year-old Whangarei student Ushini Attanayake to be someone else, someone quite different from her quiet, high-achieving self.

Being on stage provides a sense of freedom.

"I think that's why I like it so much," she said.

"You get to try on something new, it's like an old glove and I get to try it on."

"[Acting has] really helped me with my confidence because you don't have to be afraid of what you did, because it would just be that character's trait or little mannerism."

At the Northland Secondary Schools Shakespeare Competition last Friday, Ushini tried on Lady Macbeth, with classmate Jason Booth playing Macbeth.

"It was the scene where a lot of my evilness comes out," Ushini said.

"It's quite fun doing it, I enjoyed it."

Ushini's performance earned her direct entry to the National Shakespeare Schools Production.

"I had no words, I was shaking. I wasn't really sure what the award meant for me until after I won it."

Winning direct entry to the NSSP in Auckland will see Ushini attending acting workshops for a week in October before performing individually before judges.

Twenty-three participants will be selected to go to the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London.