Through the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition, students are encouraged to develop their communication skills and an appreciation of the power of language and literature. Each fall semester, three or more students from St. Louis area schools work with their faculty advisor to study and memorize a Shakespeare monologue and sonnet for performance. After a competition within the school, the chosen winner represents his/her school at a city-wide regional competition held on Saturday, January 31, 2015 beginning 9:30 AM at the Actor’s Studio, inside the Gaslight Theatre, 358 N. Boyle Avenue in the Central West End. The first place winner represents the St. Louis Branch of the English-Speaking Union in the National Contest in New York City.
This year, Crossroads had three students participate:
- Sebastian Atienza Batter, a junior, delivered a monologue as Lysander in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- Rebecca Jaffe, a freshman, performed a monologue as Nick Bottom playing Pyramus in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- Sam Buchholz, a senior, chose a monologue from Richard II, in which he played the king.
Congratulations to all of our participants, who were excellent. Congratulations to Sam, too, who emerged as the Crossroads winner. Best of luck to him as he prepares for the regional competition!