High drama

While movies are the big drawcard for many teenagers, one small band of thespians has fled to the stage and taken on the world's most famous playwright with excellent results. EMMA GOODWIN finds out what, or who, has inspired these students to the boards.

Feilding High School is a seething bed of thespian talent, although there is no unkempt bedchamber, but rather a picture of calm serenity, with pillows plumped and sheets straightened by driving force and drama teacher Kelly Harris.

Eleven students from the school headed to Wellington this month to take part in the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand (SGCNZ) National University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival which, as a title, would take up half a page in one of the bard's plays.

The students won their festival slots after the Manawatu regional heat, with one group taking part in the 15-minute programme, and one in the shorter five-minute category.

After 520 students gave their best in performing 22 scenes and 22 excerpts during four days of competition, three Feilding students were awarded places in the prestigious SGCNZ National Shakespeare Schools Production (NSSP), being held from October 16 to 24, in Silverstream, Wellington.

Jacob Wilson, Lisa Swinbanks, and Kieren Kleinschmidt, are ecstatic about their selection.

"Stoked," sums up Lisa.

"Absolutely," concurs Kieren.

"Brilliant," enthuses Jacob.

Thankfully, they had more words to say on stage, to make an impact with the assessors.

Performing a courtroom scene from The Merchant of Venice, the trio say they and the rest of their group had a great performance.

"It was the best run-through we had ever done. To perform it in front of people who were really into it, understood it, and knew how it should be done was amazing," says Lisa.

While their performance certainly had a lot to do with their selection, there was far more to the festival than brief stage appearances.

There were workshops, lectures, and classes that students took part in, all the while being watched by assessors.

"I think they got selected because the assessors wanted to see more of them. It pays to really get involved in these festivals, and show that you are willing to take part, and take yourself out of your comfort zone. The assessors see the potential during the workshops and performances," says Ms Harris.

"The selectors are watching all the time, looking for potential and interaction. They want to know you are going to participate at NSSP.

The Page 99 Test: Stephen Marche's "How Shakespeare Changed ...

In 1890, a pharmaceutical manufacturer named Eugene Schiefflin decided that he was going to release every bird mentioned in Shakespeare to the new world, and because of this speech introduced starlings to America. From the sixty birds he released, the starling population has since swollen to 200 million, wreaking havoc on the native bluebird and Flicker populations. So what I'm looking at on page 99 of the book is a good encapsulation of the book as a whole: I'm trying to see, in the lines, the power that Shakespeare had over the world, but not through the vague categories of ideas or attitudes, but in real material terms. Why did Shakespeare inspire people to do nutty things like introduce new birds to whole Continents?

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