The Covenant School's Annual Shakespeare Monologue Competition

On Friday, January 18, eight Upper School students competed in The Covenant School's annual Shakespeare Monologue Competition. This competition constitutes the first round of the National Shakespeare Competition, now in its 36th year.
The National Shakespeare Competition, sponsored by the English Speaking Union, involves over 20,000 students in more than 1,000 high schools across the United States.

Friday's competition brought a range of monologues from Shakespeare plays, with freshman Charlotte Caldejon taking first place for her chilling portrayal of Lady Macbeth's madness in a scene from Act 5 of Macbeth.

Senior Michael Sawyer, the runner up, performed a comedic speech from Two Gentlemen of Verona, while senior Kaley Hutter received an honorable mention for her complex portrayal of Portia from Julius Caesar.

The other five participants included seniors Justin Bryant (Hamlet), Evan Riegle (Mark Antony from Julius Caesar), and Lily Li (Lady Macbeth), as well as sophomores Gwendolyn Fulkerson (Lady Macbeth) and Susannah Carter (Romeo).

Serving as judges were Head of Upper School Leslie Moeller, Arts Department Chair Jerry King, and ninth grade Literature Teacher Ash White.

As the winner, Charlotte Caldejon will now represent Covenant at the Charlottesville ESU Branch Competition on February 9 at 10:00 a.m. This event will take place at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton and is free and open to the public. The winner of that competition will go on to the national finals in New York City this April.

In 2018, Covenant alumnus Emerson Helmbrecht won the Charlottesville Branch Competition and competed in New York at the national finals. The previous year, Adelyn Murrie, now a senior at Covenant, took second place at the Branch Competition. Charlotte Caldejon now looks to continue the tradition of excellence in this competition.

Watch several of the performances on our YouTube page here.
 
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The Covenant School

Birdwood Campus | Lower School | Pre-K–Grade 5 |
1000 Birdwood Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 | 434.220.7309

Hickory Campus | Middle and Upper School | Grades 6–12 | 175 Hickory Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 | 434.220.7329
Located in Charlottesville, VA, The Covenant School is a non-denominational, private, Christian day school for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, visual and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.