Upper School Theatre Participates in Chapman University’s Shakespeare Festival

Last week, SCVi’s Upper School Theatre Department took part in Chapman University’s annual Henry Kemp-Blaire Shakespeare Festival. The festival, usually held at Chapman’s campus, was on Zoom this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but still hosted schools from all over California. 

This was SCVi’s fourth time attending and competing in the festival, which has categories in Monologues, Scenes, and Design. This year, learners from the Spring Play Production class came together to learn monologues and scenes from Shakespeare’s canon, such as Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. 

Learners were able to film their submission and attended an online ceremony on Friday, February 18th, to celebrate all the schools that entered. Normally, the festival would take place over a weekend and include workshops on Shakespeare from Chapman’s staff as well as working artists from the area. 

Facilitators Kevin Becker and Cordelia Winter Dwyer, who head the SCVi Theatre Arts Program, expressed amazing pride in the unending drive and talent of these learners as they worked to memorize, understand, and perform the works of William Shakespeare. 

Representing SCVi at this year’s festival were: Diamante Cameron, Lucy Zavala, Nyasia Surgick, Nikita Shah, Bella Abarta, Quinn Rigdon, Luke Rigdon, Hugo Turner, Dane Verkouteren, Noah Memel, and Landon Wolfe. 

If you would like to see these learners in action, please come see You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown on May 12-14 in the Upper School. 

Also, for up-to-the-moment information, follow SCVi Theatre Arts on Instagram and Facebook! 

Congratulations to our Outstanding Monologue Winner, Diamante Cresitelli-Cameron as Macbeth in Macbeth.