Award-winning drama students of Whangārei Boys High School: Back row: Oli Lasenby (left), Ethan Ashton, Jackson Terry, JJ Wellington, Jamie Brown and TK Toa; front row: Ehren Coleman (left), Cam Smith, M'Lago Morris and Michael Lawrence -Thonig.
Award-winning drama students of Whangārei Boys High School: Back row: Oli Lasenby (left), Ethan Ashton, Jackson Terry, JJ Wellington, Jamie Brown and TK Toa; front row: Ehren Coleman (left), Cam Smith, M'Lago Morris and Michael Lawrence -Thonig.
Whangārei Boys’ High School Year 12 and 13 students won six awards at the prestigious SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival in Wellington.
While there is no single “winner” for the event, the awards reflect the high calibre of skill and ability shown in the students’ performances of Love’s Labour’s Lost and The Tempest.
Whangārei Girls High School students Starskea MnCube, Stella Moreton and Ashleen Soper also competed. The trio’s rousing performance of Othello had them win the Outstanding Stage Combat Award.
Year 12 student director M’Lago Morris was hugely encouraged by his experience at the festival.
“After going down to Wellington and seeing all the amazing performances and all the creativity of those students, I can’t feel anything but inspired,” he said.
“I want to go down there again next year. I want to direct again and make an impact. Being on that stage is just something else.”
Michael Lawrence-Thonig (left), student director M'Lago Morris, Ehren Coleman and Cam Smith performed The Tempest, Act 3, Scene 2. Photo / Tania Whyte
The Tempest’s five-minute scene won Outstanding Costume Design and Most Thought-Provoking Performance, and Morris took home the Physical, Emotional and Political Commitment to your Work Award.
Performing on the St James Theatre stage in Wellington felt worlds away from Whangārei.
“That’s what makes Wellington so different, you’re just in awe constantly,” he said.
“I was scared that we might clam up with such an audience, but I think we can all agree that we performed better.”
Individual award recipients Jackson Terry (left) and M'Lago Morris. Photo / Tania Whyte
Year 13 student Jackson Terry said they each worked “really hard” to get to Wellington.
His group performed a 15-minute piece from Love’s Labour’s Lost, which won Best Comic Ensemble and Most Effective Design awards. Terry also won the individual Speak the Speech Award.
“I think that the confidence that we had in ourselves and that we had in our group really projected on the stage and the judges saw that,” Terry said.
Oli Lasenby (left), TK Toa, Jackson Terry, JJ Wellington, Jamie Brown and Ethan Ashton performed Love's Labour's Lost, Act 4, Scene 3. Photo / Tania Whyte
JJ Wellington said they had all worked hard to win their spot in the national festival.
“It’s tough but with people you enjoy being around, it becomes easier,” he said.
All 10 students agreed it was an emotional experience that for some, drew tears as they received awards.
Drama teacher Peter Cook believed multiple components were the catalyst for such a significant result, these included choosing a play that no one else performed and combining elements that you “probably wouldn’t see”.
“Putting in the Māoritanga and putting in the te reo in there was something different,” he said, “but I really think that we put Whangārei Boys’ High in there.”
Costumes from the performance of the scene from The Tempest won the award for Outstanding Costume Design.
Cook also noted having watched M’Lago Morris’ piece from The Tempest evolve. After watching it about 40 times, he said even the final performance on the night was different.
The performance made for nail-biting viewing - it went for 14 minutes and 54 seconds, just six seconds off being disqualified.
“As a teacher of drama for both year groups it was a shock but a really nice shock to win more than one award. We were prepping them for not winning anything and they won six national awards,” Cook said.
