Five-minute Shakespeare

With the inclement weather of the last two years turning Shake the Quad firstly into Shake the Chapel (2019), and then Shake the Goodfellow Centre (2020), it was with a sense of relief that this year,  Saint Kentigern’s Festival of Shakespeare could once again return to its outdoor setting in the Goodfellow Quad.

Shake the Quad is always the first Performing Arts event for the year, giving co-curricular and Academy drama students from Years 7 – 13, a unique opportunity to perform short Shakespearean scenes to a live audience in a relaxed outdoor setting - in the manner that Shakespearean plays would have originally been performed. Under a setting sun, the audience enjoyed a fabulous evening of entertainment.

This year, extracts from six of Shakespeare’s greatest plays were made into ‘little stars’ for the night. From Titus Andronicus to Hamlet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet, every five-minute scene was carefully cut, compacted and condensed into a bitter, sweet or sinister morsel to capture the essence and allegory of each of the 500-year-old plays by prolific playwright, William Shakespeare. The students largely had free rein and their chosen scene could be set in any time, place or costume - there was just one essential requirement, the lines spoken had to be true to Shakespeare’s words!

Over 50 young thespians rose to the challenge this year, and students could choose to take on the challenge of directing their peers, or to be directed. They took responsibility to select a cast, attend rehearsals, determine costuming and conceptualise how each piece should be performed, often reflecting the contemporary world. In so doing, they reconnected us with the classic works, but often in a new and endearing way. Who would have expected the 1980’s lovable Ghostbusters to descend on a scene from Hamlet to tackle his father’s pesky ghost! Or the scenes of female frivolity from Love’s Labour’s Lost, with the roles of the four young women, hammed up by four of our young men! But just as there were scenes given a contemporary twist, there were those that were delivered true to their classical origins, with the overall result of a truly enjoyable mix of genres.

Whether it was the youngest of our students making their first foray into Shakespeare’s works or our more seasoned actors taking command of the stage, each performance was a joy to watch as the carefully rehearsed words were delivered. Danielle Sayer, a Year 13 Student Director said, ‘Shake the Quad has truly been a highlight of the term for me, especially as a student director, where I was able to watch younger students learn and grow through a shared passion of Shakespeare. This event is a fantastic opportunity for student self-expression and is key in helping young dramatists develop both their self-confidence and theatre skills.’  

We were pleased to see so many students from all year levels involved in this year’s Shake the Quad, celebrating their passion for Shakespeare. We now wish them well as they make their final preparations for the upcoming SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.

Our thanks to Old Collegian, singer/songwriter, Venice Qin who entertained before the show. It was fabulous to see her stage confidence, originally nurtured during her Saint Kentigern years.

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