Buffalo Seminary High School Student to Compete in the 35th Annual National Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center in New York City
April 5, 2018 — Sarah Hamdan '18, student of Susan Drozd from Buffalo Seminary won first place at the Buffalo Branch National Shakespeare Competition on February 24, 2018. Senior Sarah Hamdan will travel to New York City along with 56 other contestants from around the country to participate in the English in Action National Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City on April 23, 2018.
The Buffalo Branch competitors - Sarah Hamdan, who won with the "To be or not to be" monologue from Hamlet, and a recited sonnet is on the far right. Kailyn Lane '19 (center) from SEM also competed.
As part of the competition, students perform a monologue and recite a sonnet from Shakespeare. Competitors are judged on their understanding of their selected texts and on their ability to communicate their interpretation to the audience. The competition is judged by local teachers and members of the theater community.
Sarah Hamdan, as the winner of the ESU Buffalo Branch competition, will travel to New York City to represent their local community in the National Shakespeare Competition at the world-renowned Lincoln Center Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on April 23. On stage, each student will perform before a panel of distinguished judges as well as their fellow contestants. Based on their performances, seven to ten students will advance to a final round. Those finalists, performing their selections along with a cold reading of a monologue, compete for the first place award, which is an all-expenses-paid scholarship to attend the Young Actors' Summer School for two weeks at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
"Our 56 finalists have been selected from more than 20,000 students who performed at competitions throughout the country. We extend a heartfelt thank you to the teachers who go well outside the hours of their school day to support their students and Shakespeare. Teachers and their students are the foundation of the National Shakespeare Competition and English in Action's many other educational programs." Christopher Broadwell, Executive Director at English in Action.
2017 National Shakespeare Competition students at Lincoln Center, New York City
English in Action National Shakespeare Competition is a performance-based education program in which high school students nationwide read, analyze, perform, and recite Shakespeare's works. Through the program, students develop communication skills and an appreciation of the power of language and literature. In the Competition's three progressive levels, students perform in their own schools, at English-Speaking Union Branch competitions, and at the National Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. Since 1983, more than 300,000 students of all backgrounds have taken advantage of this opportunity to bring the timeless works of Shakespeare to life and learn to express his words with understanding, feeling, and clarity.For additional information regarding the National Shakespeare Competition, please visit www.
English in Action—The English-Speaking Union—is a non-profit educational charity that employs the English language to foster global understanding and good will through educational opportunities and cultural exchange programs. Founded in 1920 and headquartered in New York City, the ESU is a national organization with more than 50 branches nationwide and affiliated with a network of more than 60 ESUs around the world.
English in Action educational programs focus on teacher enrichment, immigrant support, scholarships and youth speaking programs. Each year, our programs serve more than 60,000 teachers, students, volunteers and immigrants around the US.
English in Action programs include:
- English in Action Conversations pair English language learners with trained volunteers to improve their English fluency through a one-on-one cultural exchange.
- Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) improves the lives of recent immigrants through education and cultural programs and integration into American society.
- Luard Morse Scholarships sends students from historically Black colleges to study for a semester at a British university.
- Middle School Debate builds research, critical thinking and public speaking skills through debate tournaments.
- National Shakespeare Competition develops high school students' analytical and communication skills through performing Shakespeare at the school, community and national levels.
- Secondary School Exchange sends high school graduates to British boarding schools for a gap year abroad.
- TLab provides teachers and lifelong learners educational enrichment programs at Oxford, the University of Edinburgh and Shakespeare's Globe.
For more information about English in Action, visit www.esuus.org
Media Contact:
Steve Whalen
212-818-1200, ext. 237swhalen@esuus.org
Erin Kelly
Director of Communications
Buffalo Seminary
ekelly@buffaloseminary.org