In its first ever Shakespeare Competition held Saturday March 1, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University welcomed 25 students from seven regional high schools and awarded $15,000 in scholarships. The day-long program included three rounds of competition, discussions with theatre professionals, and a closing showcase.

The scholarships are renewable for the four years that the student would attend DeSales as a Theatre major. The scholarship recipients are:

Daniel Bound-Black $5,000 North Penn High School, class of 2008

Katie Wexler $4,000 Emmaus High School, class of 2008

Genevieve Gillespie $2,000 Southern Lehigh High School, class of 2009

Anna Newman $2,000 Southern Lehigh High School, class of 2009

Sean Sidbury $2,000 North Hunterdon High School, class of 2008

The following award recipients were presented with a trophy during the closing assembly of the competition:

1st Place Scene: Sean Sidbury and Michelle Bascom, North Hunterdon High School – Richard III

2nd Place Scene: Christian Mikkelsen and Kristin Cichowski, Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts – The Taming of the Shrew

3rd Place Scene: Brittany Waguespack and Jamie Metzger, Warren Tech High School – The Merchant of Venice

1st Place Monologue: Daniel Bound-Black, North Penn High School – Benedict, Much Ado About Nothing

2nd Place Monologue: Katie Wexler, Emmaus High School – Juliet, Romeo and Juliet

3rd Place Monologue: Anna Newman, Southern Lehigh High School – Lady Macbeth, Macbeth

1st Place Team Award: North Penn High School

2nd Place Team Award: North Hunterdon High School

3rd Place Team Award: Warren Technical High School

“The caliber of the students’ work impressed all the judges,” says PSF’s Education Director Erin Mullen, who developed the model for the competition after serving as an adjudicator for the Utah Shakespearean Festival last fall. “It was clear the students dedicated time to rehearsing their scenes and monologues, and they all had a superb command of Shakespeare’s language.”

Eric Hersh, Director of Production at the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts, said, “I think the process our students went through was a very positive experience and I hope to participate again next year.”

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University is a professional company and the official Shakespeare festival of the Commonwealth. The 2008 summer season features: Twelfth Night, King Lear, Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker, Cyrano de Bergerac, and The Jungle Book. For information, contact: 610.282.WILL or .