Trio to strut their stuff at the Globe
All the world's a stage, and three Northland teenagers are set to tread the boards on the world's most famous stage when they head to the home of Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre, in London.
Bridget Riggir-Cuddy, year 12 at Kamo High School, Milan Kostanich, year 12 at Whangarei Boys' High School, and year 13 Adam Holtz from Tikipunga High School have won places in a three-week intensive acting workshop at the Globe next July.
It is the first time that three students from three different schools in Northland have been selected for the Globe trip.
Bridget and Milan are self-confessed `drama-geeks', and are looking forward to being among other students from around the country who feel the same.
"You get used to being the only drama geek at school," Milan said.
Bridget agrees: "It's cool to be able to act up around other people who don't look at you funny!"
Bridget, Milan and Adam are three of 24 Kiwi students making the trip to London following a week-long workshop in Wellington in the first week of the September school holidays, and they received letters of confirmation last week.
The three made it through the nationwide selection process from 5200 students who entered their regional competitions in the Sheila Winn Festival of Shakespeare in Schools earlier this year. Bridget and Adam's group entries were placed in the Northland regional finals, and Milan was named Best Actor in the regionals.
At this stage they're not sure exactly what their schedule is for the three weeks but the confirmation letter says they will be involved in "workshops, walkshops and talkshops", among other activities.
"I hope we get time to go shopping, too," Bridget said. The farthest she has travelled so far is to Australia.
The next task for Bridget, Milan and Adam is raising funds, as they need more than $20,000 altogether to make the trip.
Northland students have consistently made the grade to be selected for the annual trip to the Globe Theatre, with Pompallier College's Milo Cawthorne attending in July this year, and Whangarei Girls' High School students Kate Butturini and Kowhai Rankin-Wilkie attending in previous years.
Dawn Sanders, chief executive of Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand, said she was consistently impressed with the standard and numbers of Northland pupils who won places on the yearly trip to The Globe Theatre.
"They have a lovely energy."
High numbers of Northland pupils making the trip to the home of Shakespeare also proves that the work of the Bard is a level-playing field.
"It proves that you don't have to be from a rich private school in a big city, after all Shakespeare was performed to and by the masses, regardless of social status," Ms Sanders said.
