Member for Canning Andrew Hastie hosted the finals of the 2017 Canning Shakespeare Competition on Saturday 1 July. Ten students from around the Peel region performed before an expert panel at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre for prizes of up to $1000.

 

The competition, which Mr Hastie first ran in 2016 with co-sponsor Senator Dean Smith, invited students aged 15-17 to submit a video performance of a monologue from one of the works of William Shakespeare. The top ten were then selected for the final performance before a live audience.

 

Speaking at the event on Saturday, Mr Hastie said that the competition was about encouraging young people to engage with the work of William Shakespeare, as well as strengthening the local community.

 

“The arts are a great way to bring people together from all walks of life,” Mr Hastie said.

 

“William Shakespeare is one of the greatest storytellers of all time. His understanding of human experience and emotion is unmatched in the English language. I want our next generation of Australians to engage with this heritage, to experience it and internalise it.

 

The competition was won by Paris Meeres, 17, from Austin Cove Baptist College performing as Phoebe from As You Like It. Second prize was won by Jade Chilcott and third by Caiden Doye, also from Austin Cove Baptist College.

 

Entries were received from students at Austin Cove Baptist College, Mandurah Catholic College, Halls Head College, Pinjarra Senior High School, Frederick Erwin Anglican School and Mandurah Baptist College. Students performed monologues from works including Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, As You Like It and Twelfth Night.

 

The top ten were selected by an expert from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Their performances were judged by a panel before a live audience in the Fishtrap Theatre at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. The panel included professional actors, directors and educators with national and international experience. The event was run with community partnership from Mandurah Performing Arts Centre.