2026 Cleveland Shakespeare Competition

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43rd SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION IS A WIN FOR EVERYONE!

Talented students displayed their hard-earned skills in the heavy lift of communications from the page to the stage. Each won heartfelt admiration from a knowledgeable audience. The students' skills will continue to grow and the benefits will influence an ever-widening circle.

The best among 27competitors are (l to r) Cecelia Whiteamire, Lakewood High School, honorable mention and Tom Joynes Award; Ursula Rosen, Lakewood High School, third place; Isabel Siegel, Shaker Heights High School, first place; Jaxon Floyd, St. Ignatius High School, second place; Taylor Torres, Shaker Heights High School, honorable mention.

Teachers from every school system received the deep respect of everyone in the room and well beyond. Teachers are the role models and their selfless efforts and skills set the goals and motivate achievement by the students.

ESU locally offers the general community a way to see the rising stars in multiple schools and to support those motivated students.

Judges and facilitators win the spotlight for their volunteer efforts in community service. Thank you judges (l to r) Toby Vera Bercovici, Assistant Professor, Theater & Dance Department, Cleveland State University; Derdriu Ring, Professional Actor; Phyllis Gorfain, Professor of English Emerita, Oberlin College; James Marino PhD, Assistant Professor of English, Cleveland State University; Honorable Sandra Morgan, OBE, Mayor of East Cleveland.

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SHAKER TEACHER LEARNS IN LONDON

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Our member, Scott Sumerak, was awarded a grant to study at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, built in 1599. He was participating in the Teachers Learning Abroad program, sponsored by ESU. "It was an honor steeped in history," said Scott. He runs the drama department at Shaker Heights High School. 

Deeper than just the storyline, Shakespeare's plays reveal the human nature of the characters. This timeless feature enables the plays to hold up well today. 

Scott said that new technology - augmented reality - will make Shakespeare's plays even better. We're moving the show from the page to the stage and now into the digital world. That changes everything - the images of the characters including ghosts, costumes, 3D environments of any kind, language translations, sounds, special effects and much more as time goes on.  

Scott said his immersion into Shakespeare revitalized his 30 year career in teaching and drama!

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THE SPHERE IN LAS VEGAS, AMAZING COMMUNICATIONS!

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The Sphere is a 35 story building, a globe completely covered with video screens. The screens continually display a very wide range of images to the outside world. 

Internally there is a huge auditorium for 18,000 people. Yes, there's a stage but the massive dome projections nearly envelop the audience. Surround sound audio is clear everywhere, languages are translated in real time into headsets, and the seats move in synch with the show. Special effects include wind, fog, scent and temperature. Snow and flower petals can fall onto the audience from the ceiling and for The Wizard of Oz Experience, flying monkeys cruise above the audience. 

Where will we go from here?

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High School Reading List

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The recommended reading list changes all the time. Currently some of the favorites are:

I Am Malala
Autobiography of the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, chronicling her education, suppression by the Taliban, her advocacy for girls' education and the near fatal assassination attempt on her life. 

Oppenheimer
The leading inventor of the atomic bomb helped end World War II. But his opposition to the next generation of atomic weapons brought him into conflict with hawkish politicians, who derailed his career. 

Beloved
A Black mother, knowing the evils of Civil War slavery, kills her daughter to prevent the daughter from being taken into slavery. The mother gains freedom and the daughter returns as a ghost bringing up overwhelming trauma. 

The boys in the boat
In 1936 the rowing team at the University of Washington overcame poverty and forged a bond that led to winning a Gold Medal at the Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany. 

Percy Jackson
A series of fantasy adventure novels blending Greek and other mythology with modern settings. 

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IF SHAKESPEARE DID IT AGAIN?

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Stagecraft has vastly improved since Shakespeare's plays, 400 years ago. What tools might he and his students use today? 

A handout at the Shakespeare Competition, authored by Paul Rampe, offered many options including:

• Actors who might appear as animals, avatars, holograms, cyborgs and more
• Scripts co-written by artificial intelligence
• Stage lighting, lasers and projections 
• Surround sound from electronic instruments 
• Drones as performers and cameras
• 3-D printed props 
• Cameras with many lenses 
• Electronic costumes, not fabric 
• Special effects of many types 
• Facial recognition data from live audiences 
• Streaming to widespread audiences 
• 360 degree views  

Imagine stagecraft 400 years from now! Interplanetary and so much more. Shakespeare and his friends would love it! 

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