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Show 6th annual Shakespearean competition Student winners to receive scholarships CEDAR CITY - Full-tuition Full-tuition scholarships will be awarded winners in mono-acting and duo-scene duo-scene contests at the Sixth Annual Utah High School Shakespeare Competition Oct. 1 and 2 at Southern Utah State College. "Six SUSC scholarships will be awarded, three tor winners in the Westminster West-minster Division and three for winners in the Oxford Division," R. Scott Phillips, SUSC Theater Promotions Coordinator, said. The Westminster Division is for 1-A and 2-A schools, the Oxford Division for 3-' A and 4-A schools. "We expect to have around 300 students from Utah and Nevada schools here this year," Phillips said. "As in years past, the purpose of the festival is to promote the study of Shakespeare in the schools and to give visiting high school student an . opportunity to perform on the Adams Memorial Shakespeare Stage, home of the Utah Shakespearean Festival." The high school competition is annually sponsored by the USF and the SUSC Department Depart-ment of Theater Arts. Four guest artists willjudge performances in mono-acting, duo-scenes duo-scenes and ensemble scenes. They will foloow each round of competition, com-petition, awarding ' trophies and scholarships at an awards assembly scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Oct . 2. "Mono-acts and duo-scenes duo-scenes will be presented Friday with ensemble scenes held on Saturday," Satur-day," Phillips said. "The public is encouraged to watch the ensemble performances which traditionally include scenes from such Shakespearean favorites as 'Hamlet,' 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'Taming of the Shrew,' and 'Midsummer N i g h t : s Dream.' " Several workshops will be conducted along with the acting competition. "A highlight this year," ' Phillips said, "Will be a workshop on stage combat and fight choreography featuring David Boushety, former president of the American Fightmasters Association." Boushey is a resident fight master for Utah, San Diego, Illinois and Oregon Shakespeare festivals. Other workshops are "Theater and the Imagination" with Douglas Baker, assistant professor of theater arts at SUSC; and a workshop specifically for drama coaches,"Interpreting Shakespeare for the Stage," with Fred C. Adams, founding director of the Utah Shakespearean Festival and professor of theater arts at SUSC. "The quality of acting has improved each year the high school festival has been held," Phillips said. "Students are becoming more familiar with the Shakespearean cannon and are presenting some very fine performances here at SUSC." Festival judges are Peggi Barretta, Elizabeth Savage, Jan Stratton and Joe Taggert. Barretta is returning as a judge for the annual high school competiton for her fourth year. The southern California actress has appeared in numerous television and stage productions and is now going back to school for a PhD in psychology and counseling. coun-seling. Her acting credits include performances with , the Utah Shakespearean Festival, recently in 1975 when she was featured in a film tided "Festival." Savage is returning to judge the festival for a second year. Also from southern California, she has recently been featured in the television programs "Private Benjamin" and "General Hospital." She has just completed a pilot for a possible TV series titled "Renegades," and has been selected to apper in a HBO television special on musical theater to be directed by Gene Kelly. Another second year judge is Jan Stratton, a stage, television and film actress from Los Angeles. Stratton has appered in "The Great Santini," and the movies "Coma" and "Pete and Tillie." She has also appeared in numerous stage engagements on the West Coast and in the television programs "Barretta," "The Streets of San Francisco," and "The Rockford Files." Joe Taggert is on the board of directors for the Screen Actors Guild. Most recently he was featured in "The Greatest American Hero" and "The Amazing Powers of Matthew Star." Other television roles include appearances ap-pearances in "Three's Company" and Bosom Buddies.'' This is his first year as a festival judge. |