This past Monday, several of our St. Dominic students competed in the English Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. It was a huge success, thanks to a handful of great actors and great effort as they try to surpass the success of last year’s winner Kaitlyn Bross.

The competition consists of performing a Shakespearean monologue and sonnet in front of three judges—Mrs. Findley, Mr. Duncan and our beloved former theater teacher, Mrs. Potthast. After an entertaining night and tough decisions, sophomore Caleb Stoddard took third place, sophomore Joe Hogan came in second place and senior Grace Wallis claimed first place. Wallis performed Sonnet 65 and Hermione’s monologue from “The Winter’s Tale,” Act Three, Scene Two, and is so excited to continue on to compete in the regional competition.

“I am thrilled to have won the St. Dominic competition, and it was such a fun experience competing and watching the other actors. I am definitely excited to advance to the regional level and am looking forward to seeing all the other talented competitors’ performances,” Wallis said.

Grace is already very active in theater and acting here at St. Dominic and cannot wait to represent St. Dominic theater at her next competition.

“I love the performing opportunities St. Dominic provides, and I think competitions like the ESU gives student actors like myself a greater appreciation for Shakespeare,” Wallis said.

The regional competition will take place at Fontbonne University on February 9. The first place winner will then move onto the final competition in New York City. Our very own recent alum Kaitlyn Bross won the regional competition last year and was able to get the New York experience, so our strong past is sure to reveal itself and give leverage for this year.

“The Shakespeare competition gave me the opportunity to explore more about literature, acting and myself. Besides just getting to go to the Big Apple, I met people who were just as passionate about theatre as I am and test my own limits,” said Kaitlyn Bross.

With a strong past, present and future, this year’s competition is sure to be an exciting one. Make sure to head out to Fontbonne University next month to support Grace!