The North Sanpete Drama Department took first place overall and first place in sweepstakes for the third year in a row at the Utah Shakespeare Competition at Southern Utah University, Sep 30-Oct 2.
They competed in a division with 21 schools, said Alex Barlow, drama teacher. In total, 19 students performed at the competition this year. The competition involves two scenes, three monologues and one ensemble scene.
“This year, we composed an original story for our ensemble scene entitled “Soldier One,’” Barlow said. “All of the dialogue and phrases were from various Shakespeare plays, but the story itself was original. It told the story of an unnamed soldier who loses all of his fellow soldiers in battle and then has to cope with PTSD.
“As part of the rehearsal process, we had a local veteran share with the students some of their experiences from recently serving in Afghanistan and what it is like to live with PTSD. It was a very powerful and educational experience for all involved. The students really bonded together throughout the whole experience and made some great memories.”
The results from North Sanpete were:
First Place Overall Sweepstakes
First Place Ensemble Scene “Soldier One” an original composition
First Place Duo/Trio Scenes, Shaylee Wilkey and Rory Anderson with a scene from Much Ado About Nothing
Third Place Duo/Trio Scenes, Evan Barsic, Jenna Hill and Shayley Fausett with a scene from Julius Caesar
Third Place Monologues, Emily Wheeler with a monologue from Romeo and Juliet
Emily Wheeler was also awarded the The Larry Lott award, which includes a $1000 scholarship to SUU; this award is only given to one performer in each division based on their performance from the ensemble scene. SUU $1000 scholarships were also awarded to Rory Anderson and Shaylee Wilkey for their first place scene.
