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Carole Mikita ReportingTwenty five hundred junior high and high school students took their talents to Cedar City last week for the 27th annual Shakespeare Competition.
Many in the Western United States consider this to be the championship playoffs in the middle and upper school theater world. Competition was keen.
Just because they are high school actors, doesn't mean it's any less intense. There was plenty of hard work, determination and anxiety on stage as young people -- a couple thousand of them-- from six western states brought their fascination with the works of Shakespeare to Utah. This creative process is as important to them as math and biology, and no less challenging.
David Martin, Timp View High School: "It was hard. It was fun. It was really exciting. I really got into it and it was a good experience."
And it was well received. After the applause came a critique from the judges made up of 35 professional actors and directors from around the country.
Even younger students project, perform and learn. Whether they win the competition is not as important, the students say, as being there on the same stage where for 42 years, William Shakespeare's plays have come to life.
Katherine Hamblin, Timp View High School: "It's neat to see other students and teachers and actors from a shakespeare play, who are as passionate about it as we are."
The four division sweepstakes winners are: Meridian High School in Provo, American Fork High School, Orem High School and Ecker Middle School in Park City.
