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Students celebrate rare success - 2005

A Midsummer Night's Dream

They've succeeded as regional winners of the Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare Competition! The four night festival took place towards the end of March and saw the very best drama students from around Canterbury competing for a place at the National Festival to be held in Wellington over Queen's Birthday Weekend - and Aranui High came out on top.

A Midsummer Night's DreamWith their outstanding presentation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, senior drama students from Aranui performed with such distinction that the adjudicator, Ana McPhail, chose them as outright winners in the group scene category. This is the first time Aranui High School has ever won this honour but it took a lot of dedication, commitment and sheer hard work from both staff and students.

A Midsummer Night's DreamHead of Drama, Robert Gilbert, says he's delighted for his students because some of them began working with Shakespeare when they were in the junior school.

"These students are reaping the rewards of NCEA drama and the introduction of a programme within our department where we regularly perform Shakespeare's plays," Mr Gilbert says. "What better way to engage students in Shakespeare? Performing the Bard's plays is the best way to learn about them."

A Midsummer Night's DreamHeaps of congrats to Aranui High. This is what they achieved at the National Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival in Wellington on Queen's Birthday Weekend 2005:

A Midsummer Night's Dream"A stunning achievement by a group of wonderful students. I could not have asked more of them as people or as actors. They were fine ambassadors for the region and deserved this success at the very highest level." Robert Gilbert / HOD Drama / Aranui High School

October 2005