By Danielle Smith

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The annual English Speaking Union of the United States (ESUUS) Shakespeare competition took place on Jan. 23 at the MHS library. Several students performed their choice of a Shakespearean monologue, with Senior Nicholas Howe taking first place performing as Bottom from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,”Act IV, Scene 1.

“I get a rush from performing in front of people. Being able to step into another character for a few hours is the most beautiful and therapeutic thing, to be able to escape your world for just an hour and be somebody else, in their world,” said Howe.

Many of the students’ decisions to perform in the competition were influenced by their teachers. “I firmly believe that seizing all opportunities given to you is one of the biggest steps in bettering yourself at whatever you do,” said Sophomore Anna Eggleton. “So when (Performing Arts teacher Julia LoPresti) asked me if I wanted to be a part of the competition, I automatically said yes.”

Many of the competitors entered the competition for the sake of the experience, over a particular desire to win. “I hope that they will gain experience in a more competitive atmosphere,” said LoPresti. “They’ll learn skills that will apply to really anything in the real world. Maybe not specifically Shakespeare and acting, but it also applies to interviewing for college or jobs.”

Part of the experience the students gained was constructive criticism on their performances. “If I could redo my monologue I’d try to fidget less probably,” Eggleton said, “But you learn from everything you do and I know I have more skills and more guts from this competition.” LoPresti added, “They will gain feedback from their judges’ evaluations so that they can kind of gauge their overall performance.”

For Howe, this competition has brought him a step higher from when he competed in his sophomore year. “Getting first place just means to myself that I’ve had growth and I am just a step better than I was when I was a sophomore,” Howe said. He also had a great deal of support from other competitors. Eggleton said, “(Howe) is practically a big brother to me, so of course I’m ecstatic that he won. After seeing firsthand how much work and dedication he has put into theatre, it’s so great to see him get recognition.”

In the days that led up to the competition, the students worked hard at perfecting their performances. “You have to prepare for it and you have to take it seriously. And with anything, if you’re auditioning for something or competing in a competition somewhere, you need to get all your ducks in a row and make sure you’re ready to perform,” LoPresti said. Howe added, “I was going in for help with (LoPresti). It’s always nice whether you have a speech, or a monologue or scene or whatever you have to be prepared to get someone else’s opinion.

Howe will move on to represent MHS in the regional competition on Feb. 26.