News – December 1, 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 The San Francisco 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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Congratulations to the San Francisco Branch's own Victoria Salazar, who was a top 10 finalist at the 40th Anniversary ESU National Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 24, 2023. Victoria, a student of Michele Sanner at Novato High School, was one of forty-one semi-finalists who came from all over the country, along with parents, branch coordinators, teachers and supporters for this exciting weekend-long event.
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With a performance of a sonnet and monologue from Shakespeare, Ogechi Egonu from San Francisco, CA, a student of Jennifer Grimes at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, won the 34th annual English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. The Competition took place on May 1, 2017 on the Mitzi Newhouse Theater stage at Lincoln Center in New York City with 54 semi-finalists from as many ESU Branch competitions nationwide. Ogechi previously won the ESU San Francisco competition.
As the winner of the 34th English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition, Ogechi received a full scholarship to 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.
Announcement
Last year I had the chance to compete in the ESU San Francisco branch's Shakespeare competition, in which 30 schools from all over the Bay Area participated. Each school sent a representative to compete, and first place secured a fully paid trip to New York, in which the winner would then compete at Lincoln Center against winners from other branches from almost every other State. It was my (utterly unexpected but very joyous) privilege to go to New York via this opportunity and compete again at the national level.
Announcement
We invite schools serving Grades 9-12 in our area to celebrate the Bard's 450th birthday this year by participating in the 2017 ESU National Shakespeare Competition. The Competition provides teachers with a free performance- based program for the study of English Language Arts and Shakespeare that meets state standards.. High school students from the local area recite Shakespeare's monologues and sonnets and compete for the chance to win a trip to New York City. Learn more on our ESU San Francisco Shakespeare Competition page. Click Here
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The San Francisco Branch first offered scholarships in 1951, the first scholars coming from Australia and New Zealand (in alternate years) to study in the US, usually at University of California – Berkeley. A few years later it was decided to send Americans to Britain. Over the years most have studied at Oxford or Cambridge. The name of the scholarship changed from time to time but the purpose was constant – to enable American graduates to study in the UK. The work continues today under Bill Riley, our Graduate Scholarship Chair.
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Julia, who teaches English and theology at the Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco studied at Exeter College, Oxford. She writes –
In Shakespeare's Henry V, King Henry gives one of the most memorable speeches in all of drama. Speaking to his fatigued and beleaguered armies on the Feast of St. Crispin as they prepare for what is now known historically as "The Battle of Agincourt " (1415), he names his wizened warriors who are about to shed blood, a "band of brothers." Miraculously, they go on to defeat the French that day. On July 20, 2015, the summer school students at Exeter College gathered in the chapel to mark this bittersweet event. We silently entered the intricate and quiet space, flanked by high stain-glass windows and dark-wooden pews, then sat down to await Richard Byrne, son of Austenite and Summer School Director, Dr. Sandie Byrne, lead us in a meditative marking of all lives lost, of courage shared, and of the brilliant and romantic words of the Bard. Shakespeare scholar and tutor, Dr. John O'Connor and his fabulous wife, Kelly, assisted in the readings, creating an atmosphere of simple solemnity and serendipity for all who listened.
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The San Francisco Branch offers a fellowship for summer study in the United Kingdom as part of its British Universities Summer School. The fellowship covers tuition, room, and board for a local high school teacher. The BUSS Fellow has the opportunity to perform on the stage of the Globe Theatre during Teaching Shakespeare in Performance, presented by the Shakespeare's Globe, London. Or, to apply to University of Oxford which offers a variety of English Literature courses, as well as courses in Creative Writing, History, and Politics. The Scottish Universities International Summer School, based at the University of Edinburgh offers Creative Writing, Contemporary British and Irish Literature, and Theatre.
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