45th Inter-school Shakespeare drama contest kicks off with Girls semi- finals

The 45th Interschool Shakespeare drama competition kicked off with a lot of laughs ending with a sombre finish as the talented ladies in the Girls Semi-Finals showcased their dexterity in character interpretation that morning.

Stepping into judging panel this year for the semi-finals are Piyal Kariyawasam, Vivimarie Vaderporten and Jehan Bastians. The Judges were all smiles as Devi Balika Vidyalaya took to the stage with their highly exaggerated Comedy of errors. Seeming to embody the clothes, culture and mannerisms of these lovely ladies set the pace of the competition with farcical narration on a multi-functional set.

Although the characters emotional build up was somewhat sluggish the reactions of the leads and ensemble was dare we say it? ... On pointe! An overall hilarious and memorable production the girl’s strength in slapstick comedy was greatly exhibited here with their choice of scenes and genre as the play concluded with a picturesque capture of the plot’s thick conundrum with the two perplexed Dromios frozen still, separated by opposite sides of a thin door.

Following the laughs that morning the back to back production of Macbeth by Good ShepherdConvent (Kotahena) and Rotary International School (Nugegoda) were of a ying-yang contrast. Good Shepherd Convent delivered a mature performance of Shakespeare’s well-known tragedy - from the production’s strong, consistent use of the colour red, to the aggressively seductive themes and strong character interpretations by both Lord and Lady Macbeth. The play packed a punch from the passionate soliloquies delivered by the lead roles to the actor’s expressive facial expressions. Set in contemporary times, the production's pace was riddled with spikes of energy with some aspects of the use of modern technology and devises fracturing the plays archaic dialect and dialogue.

The ladies of the Rotary International School (Nugegoda) were possibly the youngest actors of the morning session in the girl’s semi-finals. The stark contrast in their age was felt in the young actor’s possible misinterpretation in the delivery of the Bard of Avon’s words. With long gaps in delivering the scripts cues, the young actors also seemed to fumble with the rhythm of the iambic pentameter. This along with certain technicalities here and there in acting and the overall production allowed their predecessor competitors to have an edge over them in the morning session. However, their enthusiasm and overall excitement shone through their nerves allowing them to have a memorable finale as an ensemble cast.

The once robust King Lear was brought down to a shaken mess by the cast of Lyceum International School (Gampaha). The vibrant costumes and minimal props allowed the actor's emotions to be greatly enhanced in their delivery. Although the natural flow of movement and line delivery was somewhat exaggerated in the reactions to the plot - each lead was able to deliver a believable performance. The betrayal of Lear by his cunning older daughters, Goneril and Regan, was aptly felt along with their spite and jealousy of the youngest Cordelia. The mild temperament of the young actor who played Cordelia added great value to the play, as she cast a veil of melancholy as the curtain fell on her ensuing heartache.