Funding for the National Shakespeare School's Production 2020!

Hey! For those who don’t know me, I’m Sarah Clare Judd and an aspiring performer. I began singing when I was 3, pushing my cat around the house and singing nursery rhymes. Throughout primary I earnt solos, and in Year 6 I performed in my first ever musical: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Since then my love for performing has spiraled, and at only 18 I have been involved in 20 community productions, seven of which were in 2019.

Some highlights of my performance career have been performing a lead role in the musical Shortland Street the Musical, with the professional theatre company, Centrepoint Theatre, and working alongside Massey University with their Summer Shakespeare productions, onstage during Antony and Cleopatra last year, and designing the makeup for 24 actors in Twelfth Night this year.

Recently through school I entered a competition with a few friends called “Sheilah Winn”, a Shakespeare competition run by the Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ, with the University of Otago. We created a five-minute scene from Macbeth, combining the stories of Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff. Of course, like many things this year, we were unfortunately disrupted by COVID-19 and the Lockdown of New Zealand. We hoped that after lockdown, we would be able to perform our piece, and the competition would continue, so kept rehearsing through lockdown through the use of video calls.

Luckily when we came out of lockdown, the competition could continue. This time however we were required to submit recorded videos, rather than put on a live performance. We were thrilled when we won the best five minute scene in our region (Whanganui/Manawatu/Rangitikei), meaning we would go to Nationals. At Nationals we then won the Most Imaginative and Innovative Production Award donated by Dale and [the late] Nina Hendry, the Outstanding Makeup Award donated by Paul Foster-Bell, and I personally won the award for Outstanding Individual Tragedy Role Award donated by BartonRoss Ltd. To win this award at a National level was such an honour, and surprising, but there was more to come.

The Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ runs a prestigious programme called the National Shakespeare Schools Production (NSSP). This is a week long programme working with professional tutors on developing your skills as an actor, specifically with Shakespeare’s pieces. I am one of 46 students have been selected from the nationwide Sheilah Winn competition, and offered a place in the programme. This is a huge opportunity for me to further my skills, with professionals who will help me create a career as an actor in the future. The course this year is held at St Hilda’s Collegiate School in Dunedin. I am looking at a total of $1500 for course and travel costs, therefore I am reaching out to you to help make my dreams a reality. Without financial help, it will be difficult for me to have this experience, which would be heartbreaking. If there is any way for you to help financially, it would be highly appreciated.

Knowing that there is a chance of cancellation due to COVID-19 like most things this year, I am aware that this would be a risky investment for you. However, if it falls through I would like to donate all money raised to the Manawatu Summer Shakespeare’s next production, giving others the opportunity to learn and grow as I did.

Any donations would be appreciated, even just $5. If you cannot donate, please share, send to friends and family, help get the word out. It would mean a lot to me.

Thank you for all your support,

Sarah Clare Judd