News and Events
Holiday Celebrations at ESU-English in Action
National News
The English-Speaking Union celebrated the end of 2016 with two joyful holiday festivities for the ARNIC and EiA communities.
On November 21st, the English-Speaking Union hosted a special Thanksgiving feast to introduce members of its Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) and guests to this most iconic of American traditions. Three ARNIC alumni, Mohamed Berrakaoui, Leo Borello, and Alyona Glushchenkova, spoke to the assembly. They thanked Dr. Andrew Romay, founder and primary sponsor of ARNIC, for his support and shared their experiences in ARNIC that have helped them find paths to success in the US. Each of them explained that this was the first time they had made public speaches in English.
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Welcome Reception for British Consul General
National News
On November 7, 2016, the ESU formally welcomed Antonia Romeo, the new British Consul General in New York with a reception at the ESU House hosted by ESU Chairman, Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill CBE KSt.J, and Executive Director, Christopher Broadwell.
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"What Should I Do?" ARNIC Theater
National News
Members of the Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) once again demonstrated their extraordinary talents when they work and staged a premiere production of a new play at the English-Speaking Union. The play, "What Should I Do?" was written and directed by Gyunhyeong Kim and performed by Nataliia Omelchenko and Mamadou Diabate.
Reflecting their experiences as new immigrants, the play throws a spotlight on a moment when we stand at the crossroads of life: the stark choices which face us all and which, as one character put it, define "our short and irreversible lives." We watch as two people wrestle with this dilemma: Patricia (Nataliia), a talented painter who aspires to be an actress, and John (Mamadou), an acting coach, frustrated in his search for a talented acting pupil but discovering the gifted artist before him.
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ESU Marks Shakespeare400 with Exclusive Summer Teacher Programs
National News
The English-Speaking Union celebrates Shakespeare400 this summer with its BUSS scholarship program, sending 24 American middle and high school teachers to the UK to explore the Bard's legacy.
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Third Annual ARNIC Graduation Reception
National News
On May 18, the English-Speaking Union Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center celebrated its third year with a graduation ceremony attended by more than 100 graduates, their family and guests, and ESU teachers and volunteer tutors. The Open Society Foundations, a major supporter of the program, hosted the event at their offices in New York City.
The Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC), named for the program's key visionary and supporter, seeks to improve the lives of recent immigrants by providing resources and information to help them improve their English skills, assistance in exploring work and study opportunities, networking, and acquiring cultural fluency so that they may participate fully in American society. Launched
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Teenager from Hawaii wins 2016 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition
National News
The three winners of the 2016 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition on stage at Lincoln Center in New York City. (l to r – Third place winner Cecilia Harchegani, First place winner Ari Dalbert, and Second place winner Zoë Oliver.
With a performance of a sonnet and monologue from Shakespeare on stage at Lincoln Center in New York City, ARI DALBERT from Honolulu, HI, a student of Betty Burdick at Hawaii Homeschool Association in Honolulu, won the 33rd annual English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. The Competition took place on May 2, 2016 with 55 semi-finalists from as many ESU Branch competitions nationwide. Ari previously won the ESU Hawai'i Branch competition.
As the winner of the 33rd English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition, Ari received a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Young Actors Summer School in London, England, this summer. The second place winner, Zoë Oliver, representing the Greenwich Branch, won a scholarship to the American Shakespeare Center Theatre Camp in Staunton, VA, while third place winner, Cecilia Harchegani, from the San Diego Branch, received $500 from The Shakespeare Society.
The finalists were:
Tristan Whitney - Nashville Branch
Madison Breske - Delaware Branch
Jordan Ford - San Francisco Branch
Rachel Hartner - Research Triangle (NC) Branch
Devin Bean - Boston Branch
Jake Mulé - Desert (Palm Springs) Branch
Abel Garcia - New York Branch
Watch videos of the 2016 Competition Finalists.
View photos from the competition.
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Debate Team from the Hackley School wins 2016 English-Speaking Union Middle School Debate Championship Tournament
National News
The Hackley School, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Kiri Fitzpatrick, Hannah Ostfield, Alex Goldman
The English-Speaking Union Middle School Debate Program capped off a successful fifth year with its annual Championship Tournament, which took place at Stone Bridge Middle School in Allentown, NJ, on April 16, 2016. All six ESU Middle School Debate Program leagues participated bringing together 250 debaters from 29 schools from New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.
The English-Speaking Union Middle School Debate Program teaches the fundamentals of argumentation and debate to students in grades 5-8. Established in 2011, the program now includes three ESU-sponsored leagues in New York, two in New Jersey and one in Washington, DC. Some 50 public, private, parochial and charter schools participate in the program, engaging more than 1,000 teenagers annually in weekly after-school debate activities designed to develop and hone student's public speaking, critical thinking, listening and debating skills.
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33rd Annual English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition
National News
On May 2, 2016, more than 50 high school students from throughout the United States will converge at New York City's Lincoln Center to compete in the 33rd annual English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. With the competition, the ESU celebrates the legacy of William Shakespeare as part of Shakespeare400, theinternational yearlong celebration of Shakespeare's works in 2016. This year, the ESU National Shakespeare Competition marks the milestone of exceeding 300,000 student participants since its inception in 1983. Among the winners and finalists of the Competition who have gone on to national acclaim are actor and director Joe Sofranko, whose Hulu series Complete Works is, in fact, based on the National Shakespeare Competition; actors Emily Bergl (Desperate Housewives, Southland); Tyler Hilton (Walk the Line, One Tree Hill); Heather Lind (Boardwalk Empire, Turn: Washington's Spies); Bronwyn Reed (Law and Order: SVU); as well as Broadway's Matt Harrington (Twelfth Night, Matilda) and Adam Wesley Brown (Once the Musical).
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Win a complete set of Folger Editions from the Folger Shakespeare Library and Simon & Schuster!
National Announcement
To celebrate The 33rd ESU National Shakespeare Competition and Shakespeare400, we are giving our Facebook followers a chance to win a complete set of Folger Editions from the Folger Shakespeare Library and Simon & Schuster (http://snip.ly/9qrzt).
3. Like and Share our contest post here.
The contest closes at midnight on 05.02.2016. T&C's apply.
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A Salute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
National News
The English-Speaking Union of the United States salutes
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
Patron of The English-Speaking Union
of the Commonwealth
on this
her 90th Birthday.
For information, click here
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