The drama program held the Shakespeare competition in the auditorium on Nov. 8. Eight students, each with a different level of theater experience, memorized separate Shakespearean monologues and sonnets for a chance to compete at the American Shakespeare Center (ASC) in January.

Junior Jill Watkins came in first place; junior Hannah Kosmas came in second, and Egyptian exchange student Ahmed Gharib came in third. Watkins performed Helena’s monologue from Act 1, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sonnet 62. Kosmas presented a comedic monologue of Malvolio’s from Act 5, Scene 1 of Twelfth Night and Sonnet 87, and Gharib performed Marc Antony’s Act 4, Scene 7 monologue from Antony and Cleopatra and Sonnet 18.

“Everyone did a really, really, great job and I was just quite surprised,” Watkins said.

Most of the participants were students who had been reading and enjoying Shakespeare for years prior to this competition.

“I’ve been participating in the Shakespeare competition for the three years that I’ve been here. I’ve always liked Shakespeare even before that. I would be that one annoying kid in the back of the English class who went ‘Yes!’ when our teacher announced that we were doing Hamlet,” said Kosmas.

However, third-place winner Gharib did not have experience performing in front of judges.

“I don’t know, but the moment I started speaking, I felt like everything in my body was going out. It’s hard, because I’m not used to performing,” said Gharib.

Gharib also competed to prove a point to himself.

“Since I was a child, I believed that I can be an actor.” said Gharib. “But everybody around me, they didn’t believe that. They said that I was too bad to act. At my school in Egypt, I tried to apply for acting, like a play. They said I’m not good enough, so I’m trying to prove a point to myself; that I’m good enough.”

The judges of the competition were English teachers David Simms, Michael Converse, and Laura Harrawood.

The winner of the ASC competition will go on to compete in New York in April, and the winner of that competition will compete in London, complete with a month-long, all-expenses paid trip.