News – November 13, 2023
We are pleased to announce the kick-off of the ESU's National Shakespeare Competition! Schools in our region may enter now, giving students the opportunity to compete in Hawaii Branch Competition. The winner of the branch competition will travel to NYC to compete in the national finals at Lincoln Center!
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Left to right: Maggie Odom (third), Mariko Jurcsak (first), Skylar Dysarz (second) Top three winners in the Hawaii segment of the 2019 ESU National Shakespeare Competition.
April 29, 2019 may have been a normal Monday for most high school students, but for Mariko Jurcsak from 'Iolani School it will be a day to remember forever. Mariko, student of Robert Duval, placed as a finalist at the 36th Annual National Shakespeare Competition celebrating William Shakespeare's birthday while competing against 50 students from around the US on stage at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City.
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Aloha,
The Hawaii Branch has participated in the National Shakespeare Competition from its inception in 1983. Since then, more than 6,000 students, from public, independent and charter schools statewide, as well as homeschooled students, have had the opportunity to compete in this challenging program. By participating, high school students develop their appreciation of literature as they explore the language and timeless themes in Shakespeare's works. Hawaii students have excelled at the competition over the years as evidenced by the frequency of Hawaii students making it to the final round of the top ten competitors nationally. Additionally, one of the top three places has gone to a Hawaii student several times and four Hawaii students have won the national competition within the last ten years (Connor Lawhorn, 2011; Sarah Spalding, 2015; Ari Dalbert, 2016; and Elena Hollenbeak, 2023). In the 41 years since the competition began, no other branch in the country has ever had back-to-back national winners, and no other branch has ever had four national winners. Links to performances by several past Hawaii winners can be found on the ESU Hawaii website: https://www.esuus.org/hawaii/.
Hawaii's Latest National Winner: Elena Hollenbeak
Elena Hollenbeak not only became a finalist but achieved first place in the 40th national competition for her stellar performances of Sonnet 14 and a monologue by Lady Macbeth from Macbeth. Lyn Ackerman, Elena's drama teacher at St. Andrew's Schools: The Priory in Honolulu, attended the national competition and was awarded the $1,000 Teacher Recognition Award.
News – March 3, 2018
Left to right: Ruby O’Malley (first place), Mark Lawhorn (ESU Hawaii President), Kylie E Shaieb (second place)
Ruby O'Malley, student of Ann Ogilvie from Kaiser High School in Honolulu achieved first place at the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition Hawaii Branch tournament on March 3, 2018. The repeat win for Kaiser High School, whose Makana Richter won first place in 2017, is the first such back-to-back public school win since Mililani High School won in 1998 and 1999. Ms. O'Malley will travel to New York City along with more than 50 other contestants from around the country to participate in the ESU National Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center Theater in New York on April 23, 2018.
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With a performance of a sonnet and monologue from Shakespeare, Makana Richter from Honolulu, HI, a student of Ann Ogilvie at Kaiser High School in Honolulu, placed as a semi-finalist in the 34th annual English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition in New York City. The Competition took place on May 1, 2017 on the stage of the Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center with 54 semi-finalists from as many ESU Branch competitions nationwide. Makana previously won the ESU Hawaii Branch competition.
The winner of the 34th English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition, Ogechi Egonu, representing the San Francisco Branch, received a full scholarship to attend the American Shakespeare Center Theatre Camp in Staunton, VA, this summer. Second place winner, Brandon Burk, from the Kentucky Branch, won a cash prize of $1,000 from The English-Speaking Union, while the third place winner, Trevon Wainwright, representing the Kansas City Branch of the ESU, received an award of $500 provided by The Shakespeare Society.
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Honolulu, February 20, 2016 – Ari Dalbert, a student of Eden Lee Murray, won the Hawaii segment of the 2016 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. Erica Ito, a student of Paul Palmore at Punahou School, took second place. Chandler Bridgman, a student of Robert St. John at Le Jardin Academy, was awarded third place. Ari had already won the school level Shakespeare competition among home-schooled students coordinated by Eden Lee Murray in Honolulu. The ESU Branch competition was held on February 20, 2016 at the Luke Auditorium in Punahou School's Wo International Center in Honolulu, and 20 school winners from the ESU Hawaii area participated, including one student from Maui, one from Kauai, and three from Hawaii Island. All participants were awarded single volume editions of the complete works of Shakespeare and complimentary tickets to upcoming performances in the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival season and the spring production of the Hawaii Theatre Young Actors Ensemble. In addition to monetary awards, the top three finishers each received six free tickets to Hawaii Shakespeare Festival's summer season and DVDs of Kenneth Branagh's Henry V. Ari impressed the judges and captivated the audience with his performance of Edmond from King Lear and his recitation of Sonnet 116. He will go on to represent the ESU Hawaii area as a semi-finalist at the national competition to be held on Monday, May 2, 2016 at Lincoln Center in New York City. Ari also won the Hawaii competition in 2014 and placed among the top ten finalists at Lincoln Center that year.
News
(Honolulu, HI)— Kapi'olani Community College has been selected as the host site for the state of Hawai'i for First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, a national traveling exhibition of the Shakespeare First Folio, one of the world's most treasured books. The Folger Shakespeare Library, in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association, is touring a First Folio of Shakespeare in 2016 to all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
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Honolulu, February 21, 2015 – Sarah Spalding from Mid-Pacific Institute, a student of John Wat, won the Hawaii segment of the 2015 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. Alisa Boland, a student of Rob Duval at Iolani School, took second place. Nicholas Howe, a student of Julia LoPresti at Mililani High School, was awarded third place. Sarah had already won the school level Shakespeare competition coordinated by Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu. The ESU Branch competition was held on February 21, 2015 at the Luke Auditorium in Punahou School's Wo International Center in Honolulu, and 16 school winners from the ESU Hawaii area participated, including one student from Maui and three from Hawaii Island. All participants were awarded single volume editions of the complete works of Shakespeare and complimentary tickets to upcoming performances in the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival season and the spring production of the Hawaii Theatre Young Actors Ensemble. In addition to monetary awards, the top three finishers each received six free tickets to Hawaii Shakespeare Festival's summer season. Sarah impressed the judges and captivated the audience with her performance of Rosalind from As You Like It and her recitation of Sonnet 151. She will go on to represent the ESU Hawaii area as a semi-finalist at the national competition to be held on Monday, April 27, 2015 at Lincoln Center in New York City.
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ESUUS Annual Conference
October 17-19, 2014
Newport, Rhode Island
In October 2014, about 140 ESU members from many branches met in Newport to experience this spectacular historic coastal city. Activities and private tours showcased Newport from the colonial period through the gilded age. The Conference, which was preceded by the Branch Presidents' Conclave, comprised ESU Regional Meetings, the ESU Annual General Meeting with substantive presentations on the ESU's national educational programs, the activities of Branches and constituency building and development. The conference included the following:
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Katharine Clifton, Hawaii native and winner of the 2009 Hawaii Branch Shakespeare Competition, represented the United States in the International Public Speaking Competition held in London during the summer of 2012. Read about her experience below.
Exploring a new place, whether it be a nearby town or a foreign country, is simply fun. It is engaging and exciting, everything feels like a new adventure. Now if you take this natural high of traveling and add 54 intelligent, charismatic, and curious young adults from completely different backgrounds, there are even more adventures to be had, stories to be told, and ideas to be shared.
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