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Katie Weatherseed may not get to study acting in England, home ofthe Bard, but her performances at a national Shakespearecompetition garnered her third place. Weatherseed, a Greenwich High School senior, earned a spot at the English-Speaking Union NationalShakespeare Competition in New York City by winning the localcontest, in its 28th year, held at Greenwich Library in March. The first prize for the national competition is ascholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 's Young Actors Summer School in London . The national competition, which took place April 23, what wouldhave been Shakespeare's 448th birthday, included performances by 58students on the Mitzi E. Newhouse stage at Lincoln Center Theater , in front of the set for the play "4000 Miles." "I thought it would be terrifying, but as soon as I got there,everyone was unbelievably friendly. Everyone was rooting for eachother," said Weatherseed, 18. Weatherseed's portrayal of Queen Margaret from " Henry VI , Part III ," mocking the Duke of York while he is imprisoned after trying to overthrow her husband, theking, put her in a group of 10 finalists. Weatherseed was then given a piece of paper with a monologue from"King Lear" -- a play she had never read -- and a blurb about thecharacter, Goneril, and was asked to perform it "cold," withoutpracticing. "I saw `King Lear' and said, `Oh my God, what am I going to do?' "Weatherseed said. "I think I connected to the character quitequickly. She was also a strong woman, and I like playing thosestrong women." Weatherseed, who moved to the United States from England when shewas 5 years old, recites her lines with an authentic Britishaccent. As the third-place winner, Weatherseed received $500 from the Shakespeare Society . The first-place winner was Tiffany Ames , from Charlottesville, Va., who portrayed the jailor's daughterfrom Shakespeare's "The Two Noble Kinsmen." The English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition wasfirst held in 1983. Today, 15,000 students compete each year aroundthe country. Students at the local and national competitions arejudged on how well they understand their selected pieces, and howeffectively they express and communicate that understanding. Anne Elser, co-chair of the Shakespeare Competition for the Greenwich Branch of the English-Speaking Union , which runs the local competition, said the local organization wasthrilled with Weatherseed's achievement. Weatherseed is the onlyGreenwich Branch contestant to win one of the top three spots inthe national competition in the last several years. "Winning third place nationally is a very big deal," Elser said. Weatherseed has been a familiar face at the local Shakespearecontest, competing for the last three years and earning secondplace in her sophomore year. She plans to attend Middlebury College in Vermont next year, after taking six months off to travel beforeenrolling. lisa.chamoff@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter.com/lchamoff. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Seamless Alloy Steel Pipes , Stock Pipes Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Stainless Steel Seamless Pipe today!
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