Kansas City Area High School Students Prepare for 2015 Annual ESU Shakespeare Competition

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Feb. 12, 2015 - PRLog -- The Kansas City Branch of the English-Speaking Union will hold its 31st annual Shakespeare Competition on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at 2:00 pm at the H&R Block City Stage Theatre at Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd., Kansas City, MO. The Competition is a free event and the public is invited.

Over 130 students participated in preliminary competitions at eleven area high schools as well as a competition for home school students sponsored by the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. The twelve students who won those preliminary competitions will be competing for First, Second and Third Place in this annual event which is designed to develop students’ speaking and critical thinking skills and their appreciation of literature as they explore the beauty of the language and the timeless themes in Shakespeare’s works.

The Competition is open to students in grades 9 through 12.  Each student selects, memorizes, and presents a Shakespeare monologue and sonnet. All monologues are limited to 20 lines of verse or prose. By preparing a monologue and sonnet for public presentation, students bring Shakespeare to life in their own way and learn to express his works with understanding, clarity and feeling.

The First Place winner of the ESU Kansas City Branch Competition receives $150, a full scholarship to the Shakespeare Exploration, a camp offered by the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, an all-expense-paid round-trip to New York City to compete in the ESU National Shakespeare Competition on April 27, 2015, at Lincoln Center as well as other group activities in New York City.

The First Place winner of the ESU National Shakespeare Competition receives a full tuition scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts' Young Actors Summer School in London (includes tuition, accommodation, food expenses and travel to and from London).  The Second Place National winner receives an all-expenses-paid scholarship to attend the American Shakespeare Centre's Theater Camp in Staunton, VA.  The Third Place National winner receives $500 from The Shakespeare Society of New York City.

New for this year, all 2015 participating Competition teachers will receive prizes offered by The New Book Press as follows:

School Level: All participating Competition teachers receive complimentary 30-day access to one of the WordPlay plays, available starting December 3, 2014.

Branch Level: The top three winners' teachers at each ESU Branch Competition receive a 45-day classroom license to use with their students, available starting January 12, 2015.

National Level: The ESU National Shakespeare Competition winner's teacher will receive a complimentary iPad pre-loaded with WordPlay plays.

In addition, all participating teachers from the ESU Kansas City Branch Competition schools will receive a Certificate of Achievement for their commitment and support.

Two previous Kansas City winners have won First Place in the National Shakespeare Competition in New York and one Kansas City winner won Second Place in the National Competition.  The ESU Kansas City Branch is one of 58 Branches competing in the National Shakespeare Competition in New York City at Lincoln Center on April 27, 2015.

Students from the following Kansas City area schools will be participating in the local ESU KC Branch Competition:

Center High School
Heart of America Shakespeare Festival Home School Student Competition
Olathe South High School
Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts
Rockhurst High School
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Shawnee Mission North High School
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee Mission South High School
Spring Hill High School
Summit Christian Academy
Whitefield Academy

Daniel Bukovac, ESU Kansas City Branch’s Vice President of the Shakespeare Competition, commented,  “This Competition offers students a great opportunity to demonstrate not only their acting skills but also their understanding of Shakespeare's works.  Each year our competing students show remarkable talent and passion in reciting Shakespeare's sonnets and performing monologues from his plays.”

The English-Speaking Union of the United States is a non-profit, non-political, educational organization whose mission is to celebrate English as a shared language to foster global understanding and good will by providing educational and cultural opportunities for students, teachers and its members.   Headquartered in New York City, the ESU implements programs through a network of 68 Branches across the United States.  ESU members nationwide participate in cultural and social events and provide financial support to sustain our educational programs at the Branch and National levels.  Members attend Branch events, host visiting speakers and scholars in their communities, volunteer to coordinate Branch participation in our National Shakespeare Competition and scholarship and exchange programs and serve as English in Action tutors.  For more information about the ESU Kansas City Branch, go to www.esuus.org/kansascity. Also follow the ESU at www.facebook.com/esukansascity.