On 11 and 12 May, the Inklings society took part in the Shakespeare Festival held at the National Children’s Theatre in Johannesburg. Thespians of all ages, including primary school students, high school students and adults, were invited to perform a piece from one of Shakespeare’s plays (or sonnets) in the following categories: monologue, duologue, and group scene.
The Inklings enacted a comical scene from The Taming of the Shrew at the event and placed second in the adult scene category. The audience particularly enjoyed the humorous scene in which a gentleman named Petruchio welcomes his new bride, Katherine, to his house where he overreacts to the slightest of mishaps and beats his servants repeatedly. Apart from the scene, Chené Ackerman and Joshua Wilensky both performed monologues that made it into the final round, with Wilensky winning the category for adult monologues. UP also had representatives in the final of the adult duologue section namely Rayne Boardman and Natasha Rammoi as well as Wilensky and Karla van Dyk. The latter pair ended up sharing first place with another duo.
This annual festival provides everyone with a chance to celebrate and appreciate not only Shakespeare’s work but also the performative arts in general. Wilensky, vice chairperson and writing and drama officer for the Inklings, said that it is “the perfect opportunity to get students out of school to act again and to experience Shakespeare”.
When asked about his opinion on the Inklings’ performance, Wilensky said “It’s been such a lovely month or so working with these actors […] and I’ve never been prouder of a group of actors before.”
Images: provided by Henré Booysen
Karla van Dyk
Originally posted on the PDBY website: UP’s Inklings celebrate Shakespeare
