Nailed It! Students Impress at Monologue Competition

In a field of outstanding performers, students from Laura Secord Secondary in St. Catharines and E.L. Crossley Secondary in Fonthill stood out to earn top honours in the eighth annual DSBN Monologue Competition held at the Shaw Festival on Tuesday, November 19. 

Catherine Teichman from Laura Secord Secondary School earned first place for her portrayal of Anne from “The Diary of Anne Frank”. Second place went to E.L. Crossley’s Jillian Lambert, who gave a performance as Phebe from William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”.  

In total, 16 finalists from DSBN secondary schools performed their three minute monologues before adjudicators Pablo Felices-Luna, Artist Director of Carousel Players, Shaw Festival Actor Jeff Meadows and a number of secondary school teachers. Felices-Luna said this year’s decision was extremely difficult. He also noted that the quality of monologues improves with each passing year.  

To help prepare their monologues, students and their teachers spent a day at the Shaw Festival in advance of the competition working with both adjudicators. Both Meadows and Felices-Luna gave students the benefit of their experience as they helped them to edit and polish their selected pieces. “It was a wonderful opportunity for students to ask questions and develop their skills and abilities as actors,” said Gerda Klassen, DSBN Arts Consultant.  

The Monologue Competition provides an opportunity for students to showcase their abilities to interpret and deliver both classical and contemporary scripts. Klassen added that the process “closely mirrors auditions for university and college programs.” 

Klassen also expressed the DSBN’s appreciation for the partnership between the Board, the Shaw Festival and The Carousel Players.