Shakespeare Schools Festival
MALAWI

The Third Festival - 2019

We celebrated the third Shakespeare Schools Festival - Malawi from Friday, 29th to Saturday, 30th November, 2019 at Kamuzu Academy.

Twelve schools and one youth group performed twelve plays and more sonnets.

 

They included two schools for the deaf.

 

Four hundred pupils and their teachers represented (and travelled from) every region of Malawi.

An important innovation this year was that each school was allotted a strict limit of thirty minutes to perform its play.

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Ms. Kseniya Filinova-Bruton, the Director of the Shakespeare Schools Festival - South Africa, writes to extend her best wishes for the Malawi Festival here (.pdf).

 

She is photographed with Dr. John Kani, South African actor, director and playwright.

 

The poster and certificates that appear on this page are her gift.

The programme is available here (.pdf).

The video record of the Festival follows.

 

The Festival prioritises the living experience of Shakespeare. However, it is hoped that these lightly edited versions of what appeared on stage will serve: as pleasant reminder to those who were present, as warm encouragement to those who might wish to participate in future and as enduring testament to people of good will elsewhere.

 

Click on the name of the play to watch the video.

 

The production quality accords with what is possible in rural Malawi at the onset of the heavy rains. It is our best attempt!

Central Region

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Julius Caesar

 

All Saints' Mtunthama CDSS

Film 01/12 (30:16)

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The Tempest (Part I)

 

All Saints' Private Primary School

Film 02/12 (28:09)

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Romeo & Juliet

 

Chayamba Secondary School

Film 03/12 (19:19)

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'Village Sketches' (Signed)

 

Chayamba Secondary School (Special Needs Unit)

Film 04/12 (30:57)

We learned of the presence of the Special Needs Unit too late to invite a Shakespeare play. Next year!

 

Here is a brief video clip of different scenes from everyday life at dress rehearsal (November 2019).

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King Lear

 

Chimbowe CDSS

Film 05/12 (27:58)

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The Tempest (Part II)

 

Chimbowe Primary School

Film 02/12 (28:09)

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

 

Chiphaso Holy Trinity CDSS

Film 06/12 (28:55)

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The Merchant of Venice

 

Destiny Drama Club (Mtunthama)

Film 07/12 (26:54)

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The Comedy of Errors

 

Kamuzu Academy (Website)

Film 08/12 (27:02)

 

The Kamuzu Academy Drama Club's poster is available here (.pdf).

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Macbeth

 

Loyola Jesuit Secondary School (Website)

Film 09/12 (25:33)

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Hamlet

 

Mlare Private Secondary School

Film 11/12 (27:16)

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'Love-in-Idleness' (Signed)

 

Mua School for the Deaf (Website)

Film 04/12 (30:57)

Click here to see Miss Alisoun Probert's innovative adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream for this signed performance.

 

Here is a brief video clip of the work in rehearsal at Mua (October 2019).

Northern Region

Southern Region

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Twelfth Night

 

Marymount Catholic Secondary School (Website)

Film 10/12 (28:23)

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

 

Nyungwe Girls' Catholic Private Secondary School

Film 12/12 (29:54)

The YouTube playlist is available here.

This two-day Festival surpassed even last year's. Renewed congratulations to all concerned!

 

The Directors' report on the Festival is available here (.pdf).

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Nyungwe Girls' Catholic Private Secondary School is in Blantyre District and represented the Southern Region. Their return journey was most of 1000 km.

 

Pupils of the school performed A Midsummer Night's Dream.

 

There is a tradition of drama at the school. Nyungwe Girls' Catholic Private Secondary School was victorious at the National Schools Arts Festival (Nasfest) at Lilongwe Town Hall in 2016.

 

It seems appropriate that, as the first institution to join us from the Southern Region, their chant (which is part of the Malawi traditional girls' dance called chitelera) should introduce and conclude the video record of the Festival.

shakespeare.fritillary.org
07/12