• USC Students Perform Shakespeare Scenes at O’Reilly Theater

    On Tuesday, February 9, twenty Boyce Middle School students participated in the Shakespeare MonologueShakespeareGroup2016 and Scene Contest sponsored by the Pittsburgh Public Theater. In addition, 35 Fort Couch Middle School and Upper St. Clair High School students also competed in this annual event.
     
    The USC participants were:
    • Boyce
    Maddie Bruno
    Anna Cancilla
    Nate Carroll
    Aly Childs
    Debbie Chu
    Zoe Dvorin
    Shivani Jajoo
    Ava Keating
    Rebecca Lang
    Maggie Lowden
    Erin Payne
    Emma Pribanic
    Sophia Putorti
    Rosemary Ramierz
    Joe Reeder
    Sam Scalzo
    Ritvik Shah
    Jillian Shaw
    Zach Sileo
    Anoushka Sinha
    • Fort Couch
    Vivek Babu
    Sadhana Boddhula
    Gabby Brubach
    Tyler Carroll
    Christian Chiu
    Harrison Chui
    Antara Cleetus
    Ami Doshi
    Sam Dvorin
    Dylan Fall
    Sara Hess
    Patrick Joyce
    Bryce Keating
    Richa Mahajan
    Katie McCurrie
    Morgan Meddings
    Jack Myers
    Danny O’Brien
    Joe Phillips
    Sophia Pries
    Emily Rhodes
    Caroline Sandford
    Sammie Sewald
    Ishaan Shah
    Sophia Shi
    Grace Suter
    Maxwell Turnwald
    Emme Wetzel
    • High School
    Gaurav Bhushan
    Wyatt Keating
    Quinn Murray
    Michael Nastac
    Christina Park
    Shebl Rosati
    Claire Zalla
    All students did an extraordinary job!
     
    With over 1,000 participants in 2015-16, the Shakespeare contest has become a wonderful opportunity for young people to experience the excitement of live performance while learning the works of William Shakespeare. Coaching sessions are conducted in January and February in the schools and at the O'Reilly Theater. Contestants present their pieces on the Public's main stage in front of a panel of judges, and those who advance to the final round of the contest have the opportunity to perform at the Showcase of Finalists.
     
    Last year, with their interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Upper St. Clair High School students Ben Nadler and Sriparna Sen were named finalists for the “Upper Division Scenes” (grades 8-12) of the contest.
     
    The faculty sponsors for the Shakespeare Contest are Ms. Diane Ecker and Ms. Susan Fleckenstein for Boyce and Ms. Connie Gibson, Ms. Pat Palazzolo and Mr. Jason O'Roark for Fort Couch and High School.

    Pictured:
    (1 top) The Boyce, Fort Couch, and HS participants in the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Monologue Contest learned a lot about Shakespeare and the Performing Arts.
     
    shakespeare2 (2) Performing scenes from Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Merry Wives of Windsor, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet were Boyce actors (front row, left to right) Rosemary Ramierz, Ava Keating, Rebecca Lang, Shivani Jajoo, Maggie Lowden, Sophia Putorti, Zoe Dvorin, Anoushka Sinha, Aly Childs, Sam Scalzo, (back row) Maddie Bruno, Debbie Chu, Anna Cancilla, Emma Pribanic, Jillian Shaw, Erin Payne, Zach Sileo, Joe Reeder, Ritvik Shah, and Nate Carroll.
     
     shakespeare3
     
     
    (3) High school monologues were performed by (left to right) Claire Zalla, Christina Park, Quinn Murray, Michael Nastac, Gaurav Bhushan, Shebl Rosati, and Wyatt Keating.
     
     
     
     
     
     
    shakespeare4 (4) Fort Couch had a great showing at the contest: back row from left to right – Maddie Nolan, Abby Rutkowski, Sara Strain, Emily Rhodes, Vivek Babu, Sam Dvorin, Tyler Carroll, Danny O’Brien, Joe Phillips, Bryce Keating, Ami Doshi; middle row – Shay McDowell, Emme Wetzel, Katie McCurrie, Morgan Meddings, Harrison Chui, Christian Chiu, Richa Mahajan, Sadhana Boddhula, Sara Hess; front row – Dylan Fall, Antara Cleetus, Sophia Pries, Sophia Shi, Sammie Seewald, Gabby Brubach, Caroline Sandford, Grace Sutter