School Desk

Words, words, words inspire Bronx Science students

Posted

To be, or not to be Bronx High School of Science’s Shakespeare recitation champion?

That was the question facing nearly 100 students in a soliloquy recitation competition at the school on Feb. 5. 

As some students paced back and forth quietly practicing their monologues, others sat at desks, silently mouthing their lines to prepare. In the 32-year-old tradition at Bronx Science, students perform a soliloquy of their choice in front of their classmates and a panel of judges.

“I practiced it at home a million times in the mirror,” said sophomore Lauren Viddler, 15, one of the competitors. 

Repetition was also key for Kimberley Strempel, 17.

“When I memorize things, I read two or three lines and keep repeating them in my head until I have it down pat. Shakespeare is a little harder because it’s not the English we speak today,” said the student, who recited Portia’s monologue from “Julius Caesar.”

The students’ delivery was as important as their memorization skills in the competition.

“We’re really looking for kids who can act well,” said English teacher Alex Thorp, who has run the competition for the past 10 years. 

“The idea… is that you don’t play the part; you become the character,” added drama teacher Robert Brown, one of the judges. 

For many of the students, it was a chance to strut and fret upon the classroom stage while surrounded by fellow Shakespeare fans. 

“It’s something that I wanted to do because I’ve always had this love for Shakespeare that I think a lot of people our age don’t really harbor,” said senior Emily Joyce, 17, an amateur community theater actor who chose to recite one of Hamlet’s monologues.

The competition gave participants a chance to play roles that might otherwise be closed to them.

“As a girl, you don’t have a lot of opportunities to act a male part, so this is a good opportunity. It’s kind of stepping out of the box for me,” she said. 

Other students viewed their performances as a way to tackle their fear of public speaking. 

Bronx Science, Shakespeare, Recitation, Maya Rajamani
Page 1 / 2

Comments