Shakespeare Festival: All world's stage for students

Rotorua Girls' High School students, clockwise from left, Isobella Cook, Claudia Walsh, Eden Large, Alvaretta Rakuraku-Foster, Sarah Dunn and Paige Fladkjar will perform Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream at this weekend's Shakespeare Festival. Photo / Ben Fraser

The stage is set for Rotorua students to bring to life the works of William Shakespeare at this weekend's Shakespeare Festival.

Students from five local high schools will perform at the regional Globe Centre New Zealand University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival at Rotorua Lakes High School tomorrow.

Students will perform a series of five-minute and 15-minute scenes from the famed playwright, from tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth to comedies like A Midsummer Night's Dream.

This year, the event will be co-ordinated by Jennifer Wicks, taking over from Gabrielle Thurston, who had been in the role for several years.

Mrs Wicks said she was thrilled to be organising the event and was looking forward to seeing students showcase their talents.

"I think it's a brilliant opportunity for students to get up there, perform and unleash their creativity," she said.

Mrs Wicks encouraged people to come along.

"It's going to be a really fun, vibrant day, full of great performances. It's not to be missed," she said.

Students were not limited to taking the traditional approach and dressing up in 16th century Shakespearean costumes, but could set their scenes in any place at any time, even in the future, she said. "One of the great things about Shakes-peare's plays, is that it's always so relatable. If you take the play and change the circumstances around it, people can still relate to it, it still makes sense."

Students from the best five-minute and 15-minute scenes will get the opportunity to travel to Wellington to compete at the national festival at Queen's Birthday Weekend.

Students from Reporoa College, John Paul College, Western Heights High School, Rotorua Boys' High School and Rotorua Girls' High School will compete in the event, with Rotorua Girls' High School performing snippets from Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

John Paul College students will perform the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, as well as Timon of Athens, Much Ado About Nothing and two other plays.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for students, with proceeds going to the winning teams to help them in getting to Wellington for the nationals.

Details

What: Shakespeare Festival.
Where: Rotorua Lakes High School auditorium.
When: Tomorrowfrom 1pm.
Cost: $8 for adults, $4 for students.