Performing on a National Stage

The group had a fantastic long weekend in the capital proudly representing Trinity and the Otago region in the 5-minute student-directed section of the competition with a piece from King Lear (Act I, Scene i).

The students found themselves amongst a group of very talented young actors from throughout the country, but they performed extremely well and their hard work and creativity were recognised by receiving two awards at the conclusion of the festival:

• Most Innovative Interpretation Award (Student Directed) - Esther Koudayah

• "Mic Drop" Special Judge's Award - Ziva Curtis

In addition to performing at the St James Theatre and watching all the other 5-minute and 15-minute scenes, the students also got the opportunity to participate in a number of different workshops and to visit a few places in Wellington. All in all it was a very memorable, enjoyable, and productive experience.

A huge thank you to Miss Whibley for all her support and guidance, and congratulations to our Shakespeare stars - Esther Koudayah, Mata Taua, Ella Carruthers, Eden Webb, Mitchell Atkinson, Ellen Forbes, Hollie Moloney, Ellie Sutherland, and Ziva Curtis.

Here’s a recap of the weekend written by Esther Koudayah (Year 13) who was not only one of the actors who went to Wellington, but also the director of the piece.

Last weekend was a very eventful one for nine Trinity students as we embarked on a trip to Wellington for the National Shakespeare Festival. We landed on Thursday and got settled, then attended the welcome where we were able to make new connections with others.

The next day was a busy, fun-filled day where we went to our chosen workshops, learning new skills and creating new friendships. This was such a great experience. After the workshops we went on a tour of parliament, exploring the beehive and even getting to see a political debate in progress.

The following day was our day to perform and our opportunity to wow the audience. Feeling great about what we produced on stage, we spent the rest of the day watching and cheering on other performances, maintaining our Trinity spirit throughout.

Sunday was a very important day as it was the prizegiving, but before this we watched a few more performances and even got to see Meadow Stewart, a Trinity ex-student, perform with the National Shakespeare Schools Production (NSSP) group which will be leaving soon for London! Prizegiving proved to be great for our team, with us walking away with two awards.

This weekend proved to be an exciting trip for the whole cast, where memories and experiences were made and shared. Thanks to everyone who made it possible.

A video of the weekend in Wellington, courtesy of Mitchell Atkinson:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d3WcuOUjPX3AxcnY1nfXXeD-ksjketzi/view?usp=drive_link