Winning the five-minute student-directed scene in the Sheila Winn Shakespeare regionals last week has stunned three year 13 students at Rangitikei College.
At the start of the school year the drama students were told they were entering the festival and to choose a piece and start working on it.
"It's not something we expected at all and just the thought of it made us nervous," they said.
They looked at Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth before deciding on Act one, Scene one from King Lear
The scene is where Lear, the ruler of Britain, enters his throne room and announces his plan to divide the kingdom among his three daughters but ends up banishing his youngest daughter Cordelia and his oldest servant Kent.
Between them Tori Tuau, Mikayla Walker and Laura Eklund-Nhaga set the piece in an innovative style, suggested by Laura, to revolve the action like a music box.
Sharing the roles, they stood in a triangle and crossed over characters by spinning then stopping to speak. Each time they ensured that whoever was playing Lear was at the head of the triangle.
The students admitted though they had the plan ready weeks before, their rehearsals didn't really come together until two days before the festival.
"It was hard to get us together at times for rehearsal ... someone would be away or doing something else so it was the last two days before we all knew our lines," Tori said.
Even though directing the piece themselves had been a challenge their win has been thrilling. "We were so nervous."
"I was still nervous even after we'd performed and been told we'd won," Tori said.
It was the first time Rangitikei College had entered the festival and their efforts were encouraged by principal Karene Biggs.
Next up is the national finals in Wellington from May 30 to June 2 at Wellington Boys' College.
The trio say even though they'll still be pretty nervous it will be an incredible experience to perform the piece again.
However, the three are all heading in different directions after their final year at school.
Tori is off to study sports science at Otago University, Mikayla will be travelling through the United States and working for Camp America and Laura, an exchange student, will be heading home to Finland.
They said even though it had been an exciting time they wouldn't be continuing with drama studies in their careers.