Student performers wear hearts on sleeves
Trinity Catholic College's The Bardchelor imagined what it would be like if four Shakespeare heroines — Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Titania (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Ophelia (Hamlet) and Katherine (The Taming of the Shrew) — were contestants on the reality TV show The Bachelor.
In the scene, written by Trinity head of drama and dance Erica Ward, the four were competing for Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing.
The group performed the parody at the Dunedin Theatrefest on Saturday with five other schools and the Dunedin Repertory Society.
Ms Ward said it was a successful day with performers of all ages taking part.
The purpose of the festival was for the students to receive feedback and improve their performances.
Ms Ward said she chose the different Shakespearean characters based on their personalities for the parody.
Benedick, the wilful lord, ended up choosing himself instead of any of the dames presented to him.
Ms Ward said a lot of the performances were devised by the schools with their own inspiration and content.
"It was really special to see lots of original works."
Groups from Logan Park High School, Dunedin Repertory Society and Queen's High School were chosen to advance to the regional stage of the Theatrefest contest on August 24. Theatrefest results
Magic Moment
Trinity Catholic College: The Case of the Missing Mug: Inspectors Entrance
Queen's High School: Seacliff: Opening Imagery
Columba College: Housekeeping: Collaborative Creation
Queen's High School: Tangiwai: Physical Imagery
Columba College: A Friend for Karen: Karen's Tantrum
Columba College: A Friend for Karen: Original Comedic Script
Merit Awards
Acting: Columba College: A Friend for Karen: Bethan Mundy
Acting: Trinity Catholic College: The Case of the Missing Mug: Riley Culling
Acting: Dunedin Repertory Society: The Importance of Being Earnest: Riley McIntosh
Acting: Trinity Catholic College: The Bardchelor: Joseph Kelly
Acting: Trinity Catholic College: The Bardchelor: Meadow Stewart
Acting: John McGlashan College: The Real Housewives of Colchis: Jess Mundy
Acting: John McGlashan College: The Real Housewives of Colchis: Glenn Ericsson
Directing: Queen's High School: Seacliff
Ensemble: Queen's High School: Seacliff
Ensemble: Queen's High School: Tangiwai
Overall design: John McGlashan College: The Real Housewives of Colchis
Overall design: Logan Park High School: Poetic Descent
Distinction Awards
Acting: Dunedin Repertory Society: The Importance of Being Earnest: Rowan Metreyeon
Direction: Logan Park High School: Poetic Descent: Finn Trotman-Ericsson
Production of Comedy/Farce: Dunedin Repertory Society: The Importance of Being Earnest
mark.john@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Tyres and dental floss prove winning combination
Annalisa Wikitoria McConachie (second left) wears the 2025 MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards "Award of Excellence" winning garment, flanked by designers Vicki Taylor-Blair (left) and Chris Reeve. Awards emcee Antonia Prebble is also pictured. PHOTO: ELLA SCOTT-FLEMING A garment made from the inner tubes of bicycle tyres and dental floss won the top prize at this year's MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards. Dunedin duo Vicki Taylor-Blair and Chris Reeve won the "Mataura Licensing Trust Award of Excellence" award in Gore on Saturday night for their design. The hours of hard work and inventive ideas of Southland designers and makers were also recognised. Hairdresser Ms Taylor-Blair won the same prize in 2018 alongside other accolades in the competition in the 12 years she has been involved. "I don't come to win, I just come for the challenge," she said. "I just love to see my work coming down the catwalk." She said the skirt was made with the woven tyre tubes. Then underneath was a frame. To sew the heavy structure to straps she had to use dental floss for its strength. The pair have entered the competition together as well as individually in previous years. Mrs Reeve said they usually get together once a week, until the competition deadline looms closer. "Just on Sundays mostly and, as the time gets closer, we get busier," Mrs Reeve said. Mrs Reeve works as a fabric technology teacher at Queen's High School and said her students had watched the garment come to life. "[They] have been watching this whole thing grow," she said. After some nerves over how the dress would show on the runway, Mrs Reeve was happy enough to win the Avant Garde Award earlier in the evening. "I thought, this is the best night of my life," she said. When she and Ms Taylor-Blair won the final, $16,500 prize package, tears were shed. "I was definitely crying," she said. Another winner on the night was Viv Tamblyn from Gore who won the "Peroni Open Gala Award" for her purple quilted puffer creation. It was Ms Tamblyn's 18th year competing. She had won a section every year bar one, she said. Ms Tamblyn usually has three looks in the competition, but this year it was "only" two. She said she took two months off after the competition before starting again. Her second look, an all-red pin-tucked garment, took her at least six months, she said. Another Gore local Debbie Smith won the "Heather Paterson QSM Memorial Trophy - Best Southland Designer Award" for her gown with horned headpiece. The evening was emceed by Outrageous Fortune actress Antonia Prebble, who took time to honour the awards' volunteer organisers, convener Jacqui McKinney and ambassador, Huffer founder Steve Dunstan.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Faith Ward on her journey from Porirua to American fame
Ward attended a 'very small, intimate school', just north of Porirua, where she believes knowing all the teachers' names was a great way to grow up. 'I feel like that definitely shaped me into the person I am today; it's very crazy to think that that's where my life started,' she said. Faith Ward becomes the first New Zealander to make the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Photo / Supplied Ward's mum was a dance teacher at the Wellington School of Dance, and started taking her to her lessons. Ward recalls joining in, prancing around with ribbons to avoid being bored. She said she didn't even initially want to dance, but her mum noticed a natural rhythm and encouraged her to sign up for a few lessons. The dance lessons quickly became more competitive, and before she knew it, she was 'winning a few awards, was like, 'Oh, I'm actually maybe kind of good at this',' she said. Wellington School of Dance teacher Suzanne Denton started teaching Ward from age of 4, and said she had immense talent and determination. Ward was part of the dance school's competition teams and had a natural ability. Denton said she 'was a delight to teach'. The whole team was incredibly proud of her, and the achievement just 'shows what kind of person she actually is.' Denton said Ward is a true inspiration for the next generation of dancers that she teaches, and 'coming from NZ, being able to achieve something like this on the world stage is very inspirational for all dancers'. Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Faith Ward experimented with a whole range of dance formats while living in New Zealand as a child. Ward recalls begging her mum to let her try cheerleading at Big Air gym in Tawa as well as dancing, as that's what 'all my friends from school were doing'. Big Air was Ward's first taste of cheerleading, which she said brought out a whole new side of the sport, and made her stronger as an athlete. An appearance on children's TV show What Now when she was 8 was a defining moment, where the gears clicked and she realised this was what she wanted to do as a forever job. 'That's where I kind of went, 'there's some opportunity in dancing. I could make this a thing'.' Fast forward to the past few weeks, which Ward dubbed some of the hardest, most gruelling weeks of her life: she has made her dream come true as a Dallas Cowboy. The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders are renowned as one of the world's top cheer groups. Thousands of dancers go through intense training camps each year to try and secure a spot among the elite. They have been performing at Dallas Cowboy's NFL games since 1961. Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Faith Ward previously performed in the musical Annie at the St James Theatre Wellington in 2014. Ward said during training camps, they would be shown a dance taught just the day prior, and have to perform the entire routine. If the coaches weren't impressed, they'd cut them from the programme on the spot. The cheerleaders became a global phenomenon with the launch of Netflix docuseries, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which came out last year, showing a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. It's an achievement no Kiwi has made before, becoming America's newest sweetheart. 'I'm honestly so honoured and so privileged to be representing NZ,' she said.
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Faith Ward corrects confusion about Australian nationality
'We went home like two years ago and I was like, 'Oh, it hasn't changed one bit.'' Ward, who moved to Perth aged 10, is the first New Zealander (and the third Australian) to be selected for the illustrious Texas-based cheerleading squad. She said the significance of her selection was not lost on her. Ward is one of six rookies joining the coveted dance squad for the 2025-26 NFL season. Photo / Instagram 'I feel like it's so cool for us Kiwi girls to show that we are just as capable as everyone else to make our dreams come true. 'Obviously, we don't really get a lot of opportunity in New Zealand, so we have to put ourselves out there as it is, and I did just that and proved us right and that we are capable of doing something like this and made my dream happen.' Her New Zealand nationality may even have helped her secure a spot in the high-profile team. Ward told the radio show she was shoulder-tapped by the team's recruiters, who asked where she was originally from. When she said New Zealand, the recruiter replied: 'We've never had a New Zealand DCC, so you should apply.' Ward also represents a tonsorial first on the squad, breaking the mould by wearing her hair tied up instead of down in the team's signature style. 'I'm honestly so honoured to not only be the first New Zealand DCC and the third Australian, I'm like one of the first to have a ponytail,' she told Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley. 'You guys will see in my cameo if my hair is up or down, that'll be the answer as to whether or not it's staying. But for now, I've been wearing my hair in a pony and [dance director] Kelli seems to like it.' Ward is one of six rookies joining the coveted dance squad for the 2025-26 NFL season. A Netflix docuseries follows the cheerleaders from auditions to training camp and into the NFL season. Asked whether she was prepared for the fame that comes with the role, Ward said her life was 'on a full 360'. 'I'm going to try and live in the moment and take it all in for what it is.' She knows that, when she makes her debut, she'll be inspiring and representing more than just an NFL team. 'Hopefully, I'll do NZ proud.'
