Sixth grader wins Shakespeare monologue contest
March 1, 2023
In addition to Kaaveri’s winning monologue, a team of Upper St. Clair High School students was one of five finalists in the Upper Division Scenes category. Performing a scene from “Henry IV” were sophomores Ishaan Sharma (Falstaff) and Armen Pettit (Hall).
“Ishaan and Armen conveyed the humor and over-the-top repartee of this pair perfectly in their performance of a memorable scene from a lesser-known Shakespearean work,” Thomas Yochum, gifted education teacher, said. “In tackling a difficult piece, each got big laughs and rapt attention from the audience, for both their skilled acting and strong handling of the quick dialogue.”
More than 600 students in grades 4-12 from more than 60 area schools competed in the preliminary rounds in early February. Students could enter the monologue, scene or both portions of the contest in either the upper division (grades 8-12) or the lower division (grades 4-7).
“I am so proud of ALL of the students who participated in this event,” Sherri Garvey, Boyce Middle School gifted/enrichment resource teacher, said. “It took a significant amount of hard work to prepare and courage to perform!”
The following Upper St. Clair students earned Honorable Mention:
- Boyce MS: Lindsey Fitzgerald (Lady Macbeth); “Macbeth"
- Boyce MS: Mira Murthy (Helena); “A Midsummer Night's Dream”
- Boyce MS: Kriti Kulkarni (Helena); “A Midsummer Night's Dream”
- Fort Couch MS: Ian Putorti (Edgar/Poor Tom), Trevor McClintock-Comeaux (Gloucester), Ryland DeStefano (Old Man); “King Lear”
- USCHS: Kaia Petrick (Bottom), Pritika Gupta (Quince), Anoushka Barve (Others); “A Midsummer Night's Dream”
- USCHS: Sara Gillespie (Valentine), Zahra Hossain (Proteus); “Two Gentlemen of Verona”
Participants receive a free workshop and coaching session along with a contest T-shirt. View the complete list of winners, finalists and honorable mentions.
