Announcing the Finalists of Pittsburgh Public Theater's 27th Annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Aja Jones, Director of Marketing
ajones@PPT.org

Pittsburgh Public Theater Announces
the 27th Annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest Finalists

Showcase of Finalists to be Broadcast on YouTube
Monday, February 22 at 7:00pm ET

February 19, 2021 • Pittsburgh, PA — Pittsburgh Public Theater is proud to announce the finalists of the 27th Annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest. This year’s contest was held virtually for the first time iln the organization's history in an effort to unite and celebrate students and educators across the region during this time of isolation. The Showcase of Finalists will be broadcast on YouTube February 22 at 7:00pm and is available at no charge with registration at PPT.ORG/SHOWCASE. The Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest is presented by HIGHMARK.

More than 600 area students from 70 schools competed in the preliminary rounds of this year’s contest via video submissions of monologues and/or scenes chosen from the works of William Shakespeare. Teams of judges evaluated each participant and those with the highest scores will progress to the Showcase of Finalists on Monday, Feb. 22 at 7:00pm. Students in grades 8 – 12 competed in the Upper Division, and grades 4 – 7 competed in the Lower Division. In addition to announcing the winners of this year’s competition, Pittsburgh Public Theater will also award the Rob Zellers Award for Excellence in Arts Education during the Showcase.
The event will be introduced by KDKA’s Ken Rice, and hosted by Pittsburgh native Joe Serafini, currently starring as Seb in the hit Disney+ original series, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The judging lineup for this year’s Showcase of Finalists includes Tony Bingham, Sharon Eberson, Carter Redwood, Tamara Tunie, and The Public’s Artistic Director, Marya Sea Kaminski.

WORLD PREMIERE OF EMPTY SPACE SHAKESPEARE
In the spirit of innovation in this unique year, Pittsburgh Public Theater collaborated with the team from Empty Space Project to premiere a captivating new work, Empty Space Shakespeare, during the Showcase of Finalists. Four local performance artists created new works inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and filmed their pieces throughout “empty spaces” of the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater’s home in the heart of Downtown’s Cultural District. Featured artists include musician Jake Barber, singer-songwriter INEZ, spoken word artist Steven Montinar, and poet Alona Williams.

REGISTRATION
Register for FREE by visiting PPT.ORG/SHOWCASE.

2021 FINALISTS
LOWER DIVISION: SCENES

Jonah Burchill (Nick Bottom), Linus Burchill (Peter Quince), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh

Ava Liu (Titania) and Aaron Jiang (Bottom), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Boyce Middle School

Kennedy Brooks (Mistress Ford), Kitty McHale (Mistress Page), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Environmental Charter School

Suraya Collins (Juliet) and Zora Rose (Nurse), Romeo and Juliet, Hope Academy of Music and the Arts

Magdalen McDermott (Portia), Adelaide Schmich (Nerissa), The Merchant of Venice, West View Hub

LOWER DIVISION: MONOLOGUES

Sidra Bandy (Ariel), The Tempest, Hope Academy of Music and the Arts

Declan Mibroda (Antipholus), The Comedy of Errors, McMurray Elementary

Olivia Lee (Juliet), Romeo and Juliet, North Allegheny Cyber Academy

Kymir Cogdell Freeman (Hamlet), Hamlet, Pittsburgh CAPA

Matei Zivanov (Mercutio), Romeo and Juliet, Pittsburgh Colfax K-8

UPPER DIVISION: SCENES

Armen Pettit (Peter Quince), Ishaan Sharma (Bottom), Rohan Mehta (Starveling), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Fort Couch Middle School

Cameron Tino (Corin), Elijah Groves (Touchstone), As You Like It, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School

Eva Scandrett (Launce), David Hargraves (Speed), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Trinity Christian School

Desmon Jackson (Demetrius) Jayson Allen (Helena), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Woodland Hills High School

UPPER DIVISION: MONOLOGUES

Annabel Tew (Joan La Pucelle), Henry VI, Pittsburgh CAPA

Colin Abt (Antipholus), The Comedy of Errors, Peters Township High School

Angelia Larson (Constance), King John, Slippery Rock High School

Nathan Mutale (Richard), Richard III, Thomas Jefferson High School

Kai Suyama (Launce), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hampton High School

Maddie Nolen (Jailer's Daughter), Two Noble Kinsmen, Upper St. Clair High School

Click HERE to view the 2021 Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest Honorable Mentions.

SPECIAL THANKS
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 2021 Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest was produced by Seth Laidlaw, Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Interim Director of Education. The 2021 Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest is presented by HIGHMARK with support from BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania, The Grable Foundation, Jack Buncher Foundation, and the McGuinn Family Foundation.

Additional education and engagement support is provided by The Buhl Foundation, EQT Foundation, Hefren-Tillotson, Inc., Richard W. Moriarty, M.D., and the Lewis A. & Donna M. Patterson Charitable Foundation.

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The mission of Pittsburgh Public Theater is to provide artistically diverse theatrical experiences of the highest quality. Pittsburgh Public Theater also strives to serve, challenge, stimulate and entertain while operating in a fiscally responsible manner. The Public shares its resources with the community through education and outreach initiatives intended for a wide range of people with the goal of expanding and diversifying the audience while enriching the community.