SGCNZ Victoria University of Wellington National Shakespeare Festival

About the event

Selected groups from the 24 SGCNZ Victoria University of Wellington Regional Shakespeare Festivals (SGCNZ VUW RSF) throughout the motu show their ‘takes’ on the Bard as they perform their colourful and diverse scenes. One 5-minute student-directed and a 15-minute adult or student-directed scene will be selected from each to be performed in the National Festival during King’s Birthday weekend. Participants in the chosen groups are Year 7-13 from secondary and intermediate schools, homeschoolers and community youth drama groups. Ages range from 11-19 and always reflect the breadth of ethnicities and gender identifications that exist in these nationwide. With Shakespeare returning to the curriculum, this is an ideal chance for them to bring his words to life, enjoying his rich language and the opportunity of reinterpreting them innovatively and with currency. Public performances of these scenes chosen for the SGCNZ VUW National SF take place at Wellington’s St James Theatre are on Saturday 30 May from 9.30am-5.30pm and Sunday 31 May 9.00am-5.00pm. The SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company 2026 (selected from last year’s Festivals and 9-day intensive SGCNZ National Shakespeare School Production) will perform from 7.00pm-7.45pm, followed by the Prize-Giving Ceremony for the winners of our 6 allied Competitions in other arts genre and presentation of the Scene Awards, presented by a notable Politician. “SCGNZ has been the highlight of my time at college. It has built my confidence and my abilities in performance. It has given me the opportunity to express myself in ways that I could not have done elsewhere… The St James Theatre has such a good feeling on stage;as a performer it makes me feel like I am part of something bigger than myself. It is a beautiful and special venue.” “SGCNZ has opened so many doors for me. It has helped me understand more about Shakespeare, performance and given me the opportunity to perform for a range of events… The St James Theatre has such a deep and dark history which adds to the vibe of Shakespeare for [SGCNZ’s] national events..” For a complete list of the public performance schedule, please see HERE