Shake the Quad Holds the Mirror Up

The enduring strength of Shakespeare lies not only in his language, but in his elasticity as his work continues to be reimagined across time. This year’s Shake the Quad reflected that, as our drama students approached the canon as something to be questioned and reshaped, “holding the mirror up to nature,” as Shakespeare himself intended. 

Across the nine scenes performed for an audience of over 200, a clear thematic thread emerged. Many of the characters were presented under pressure, at moments where identity began to shift or fracture. Whether through madness, disguise, ambition, or moral conflict, the focus often turned to what happens when control starts to slip.

That idea came through most clearly in the depictions of madness. In Hamlet, Sophie Macky and Ella Taylor presented Ophelia’s descent through a mirrored and highly stylised interpretation, capturing both vulnerability and intensity. Eva Sanderson’s Lady Macbeth offered a different kind of unravelling, tracing a steady loss of control with conviction. These performances felt measured rather than exaggerated, grounded in an understanding of the characters’ inner lives.

Elsewhere, there was a willingness to take creative risks. A reworking of Twelfth Night set within the world of Friends brought a sense of familiarity and humour, complete with the iconic red couch, while still holding onto the play’s ideas of disguise and mistaken identity.

In contrast, the assassination scene from Julius Caesar relied on restraint. Stillness and clarity gave the text space to carry the moment. The Tempest followed a similar approach, with clean staging and a focus on storytelling that allowed the narrative to come through with precision.

The range across the evening was evident. Phoebe Wakelin took on the emotional weight of Titus Andronicus with control and presence. In Much Ado About Nothing, Hunter Constantopoulos shifted the tone, bringing a playful and slightly absurd quality to his role, drawing clear comparisons to John Cleese.

A beautifully acted 5-minute interpretation of the young lover’s story The Tempest was another very impressive scene and closed the evening in the quad.

With the Regional Festival approaching, the evening served as both a preview and an opportunity to share the students’ work with the wider community. Shakespeare, in their hands, felt active and relevant, shaped by interpretation rather than confined by tradition. 

Our students are performing at the Regional Festival at Diocesan for Girls on Friday March 27. Our scenes are being performed between 11am and 3.00pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. The top two scenes performed at this Regional Festival, which encompasses 2 full days of scenes, will be chosen for the National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington which takes place during Term 2.