Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On Saturday, 21 July 12 high school students participated in the finals of my third annual Canning Shakespeare Competition. These students competed on stage at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, performing monologues from the works of Shakespeare before a live audience. Up for grabs were cash prizes, tickets to Julius Caesar and the honour of becoming Canning's best youth Shakespearean of the year. The annual competition is about encouraging young people to take a risk, do something difficult, and build self-confidence through engaging with the work of one of the greatest storytellers of all time. Shakespeare is at the very centre of the Western canon and I want kids to experience that rich cultural heritage.

Students performed monologues from works including Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III, King John, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like Itin front of a panel of expert judges. The panel included professional actress, and Head of Acting at WAAPA, Glenda Linscott and long-time Mandurah theatre professional Merle Brown, who has been heavily involved with local theatre for years. The contestants came from schools from around the Peel region, including Frederick Irwin Anglican School, Austin Cove Baptist College, Pinjarra Senior High School, Mandurah Baptist College and a privately tutored student. Every contestant performed very well, but there was only one winner. Sharni Uchtman from Austin Cove Baptist College won first place, performing as Constance from King John. Congratulations to all the students who participated. Thank you for taking the risk and performing in front of our local community.

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