A little bit of Bard Medicine...

May the bad jokes continue as we prepare for the Intercolligate Shakespeare in Schools festival next month.  This year we are one of the 3 Wairarapa Colleges who have selected "MacBeth" as their 15 minute scene performance..... let's hope we all choose different acts and interpretations!

Without disclosing our interpretation of the play, we can disclose the key players.  Louis Gray plays the title role of MacBeth, and Barney Johnson as Duncan.  Arjun Pathmanathan plays the role of MacBeth's friend Banquo, and Waimarama Phillips is Lady MacBeth.  Dominic Hawke is an hillarious Ross, while the evil 'witches' are played by Daniel Cameron, Christina Hyde and Darren Dingle.  The cast is bolstered with Katie James, Donal Jephson, Adam Lesslie, Cat Wickman, James Owens, Jamie Rafferty, Jamie MacPherson and Bradley Hati, along with a chorus of Year 9-11 students.

This is the largest cast we have had in Shakespeare for a number of years, and the students are having fun with their interpretation of the script.  While the language is a daunting barrier for learning the lines, and for some, working out what is going on, it is a great opportunity to celebrate teh greatest playwright in the English Language.

We will be performing on March 29th at the Kuranui College Performing Arts Centre to an invitation only crowd, and looking forward to the Intercolligate Festival on April 27.  The best part will no doubt be seeing how different schools take on the challenge.  Wairarapa College have dominated the competition, and Rathkeale Senior College have done incredibly well in recent times.  Solway are set to put together a wonderful performance with their talented girls, and the 5 minute student directed scenes are always a sight to behold.  Here's hoping we can meet the same high standards.

Louis Gray, Waimarama Phillips and Barney Johnson.

James Owens, Christina Hyde and Adam Lesslie