Magnolia Students Win Top Prize In Pittsburgh Shakespeare Contest
Two Magnolia High School students won the top prize for their scene from “The Taming of the Shrew” in the Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest at Pittsburgh Public Theater on Monday.
Ryan Horn and Cassi Smith portrayed Petruchio and Katherina, respectively. They were among 1,000 students from 100 schools who competed in the preliminary rounds at the O’Reilly Theater, PPT’s home in the downtown Cultural District, from Feb. 6-17. The Showcase of Finalists took place Monday.
Horn and Smith won best scene in the Upper Division, encompassing grades 8-12. There also was a monologue category. A Lower Division contest was held for thespians in grades 4-7, also with prizes for best monologue and best scene.
The Showcase of Finalists judges were Linda Haston (actor), Philip Horn (executive director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts), Amy Landis (actor), Ted Pappas (Pittsburgh Public Theater’s producing artistic director), Richard E. Rauh (a contest sponsor) and Timothy D. Stickney (actor and cast member of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s “Twelfth Night”).
The Magnolia pair competed in the finals against students from Fort Couch Middle School, Woodland Hills High School, Avonworth High School and an unnamed independent school.
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