To start a chilly evening, KDKA-TV’s Ken Rice, everyone’s favorite (and wittiest) emcee, quoted the bard’s “King Lear”: “This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen.”
Or madwomen, he might have added, not to mention kings, queens, jesters, lovers, murderous thanes, fairies and even a jailer’s daughter — all the rich dramatis personae of Shakespeare’s works.
They were present in force at the Pittsburgh Public Theater for the finals of the 21st annual Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest, and the weather didn’t daunt them or a large audience of families, friends, Bardolators and perhaps some who just wanted to get in from the cold.
This year, about 1,100 students representing some 95 southwestern Pennsylvania schools entered the contest, which brought them to the Public last week in floods to strut their stuff before indefatigable waves of judges in the preliminary round. The result was Monday’s finals of 13 monologues and 13 scenes (45 students in all) in two age categories, eighth through 12th grade and fourth through seventh.
In a real sense, all were winners. But someone had to win the complete works of Shakespeare that were the prizes, and they were:
Upper level monologue (tie): Maddie Ince, Phoebe, “As You Like It” (Pine-Richland High School), and Larry McKay, the title role in “Henry V” (Pittsburgh Allderdice High School).
Upper level scene: Ben Nadler and Sriparna Sen, Lysander and Hermia, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Upper St. Clair High School).
Lower level monologue: Carolyn Jerz, Ariel, “The Tempest” (home schooled).
Lower level scene: Benjamin Godley-Fisher and Luke Chinman (Pittsburgh Colfax), the title characters in “Romeo and Juliet.”
This year’s judges were actors John Little, J. Alex Noble and Amy Landis; sponsor and man about theater Richard Rauh; and myself.
The contest is administered by the Public’s caring Rob Zellers, under the leadership of Ted Pappas.
This year’s lead sponsor was EQT Foundation, represented by deputy general counsel David C. Cannon Jr.
Senior theater critic Christopher Rawson is at 412-216-1944.
First Published: February 17, 2015, 5:00 a.m.