The afternoon of 18 January brought three schools together for the first round of the English Speaking Union’s Performing Shakespeare Competition.

With the competition open to Years 7, 8 and 9, the two places for the Area Finals were being hotly contested by performances from Taunton School (Prep, International and Senior) and featured a variety of duologue and monologues from ‘Macbeth’, Hamlet’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘As You Like It’.

Wilbur and Zachary delivered full tragic self-examination as Macbeth and Hamlet, while Lizzie, Sophie and Daisy explored chilling insights into Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Temave delivered the tragi-comic disillusion of Jacques with aplomb, while Joscelyn and Abi, and Izzie and Elena made us all laugh and pity the tangled lovers in Athens.

Well done to all involved, and it was a hard decision, but the winning performances were Zachary (Year 9) for an intensely tortured Macbeth, and Joscelyn and Abi for their striking comic partnership as Helena and Hermia.

Many thanks to all staff involved from Taunton Prep School, Taunton School Internation Middle School and Taunton School Senior.