"What my tongue dares not, that my heart shall say."



Hillcrest's 2011 1st Place Ensemble Scene performing on the Shakespeare stage



That's right, kids, it's time for Shakespeare Team!

Get ready to start your year off in high gear. Everyone agrees that being on Hillcrest's Shakespeare Team is one of the (if not THE) greatest experiences you will have your entire high school career. Come help us defend our 2-time Sweepstakes Championship and 5-time Ensemble Championship. This year, there are some new high-profile schools competing in our division, and due to some calendaring issues, we have one less week of rehearsal than normal to rehearse.  Rest assured, defending our crown will NOT BE EASY this year.  The pressure is on. Are you ready to deliver?

The centerpiece of a Shakespeare Team is the 10-minute ensemble scene. Hillcrest's ensemble scenes usually use as many kids as we can fit onto the bus (between 50-55).  This year's ensemble scene will be taken from "Richard II."  We will begin in the last scene of Richard's life (Act 5, Scene 5) and explore how his kingdom was taken from him through flashbacks and memories in his head (Act 2, Scene 2; Act 3, Scene 3; and Act 4, Scene 1).  It will be a fascinating psychological study that will challenge your acting skills more than any other piece we've done thus far.



The 2011 Individual Events team preparing for their first round

 In addition, various duo/trio scenes and monologues will be cast from the auditions to compete to be selected as one of Hillcrest's individual events on this year's team.


Auditions will be held on Thursday, August 30 (yes, that's only one month away) and will be open to any 10th, 11th or 12th grade student attending Hillcrest High. Also, 9th grade students attending HHS feeder schools (Midvale Middle, Union Middle, and Albion Middle) will once again be invited to audition for a spot on Hillcrest High School's 2-time defending-champion Shakespeare Team.  The audition sign-up sheet will be up on the first day of school on Mr. Long's door (room C-202).

Team members watching other performances from the balcony

Now in its 36th year, the Utah Shakespearean Festival's annual High School Shakespeare Competition gathers students from 110 schools in 9 states, and is the only inter-state drama competition in the area.

Team members benefit not only from being adjudicated by professional actors and directors from across the country, but are also given the opportunity to see professional theatre. Last year, Hillcrest had 5 students walk away with scholarship awards. In addition, workshops in dozens of areas related to the theatre world are offered. There is honestly, nothing else like it. Don't miss your chance!

Performing a fight scene during their award-winning performance

The competition will be held October 4-6, 2012 in Cedar City, UT. The trip will cost no more than $200 per participant and includes transportation, hotel, some food, team hoodie, play tickets, and entrance fees. Fee waivers do not apply. In order to participate, a student must be UHSAA elligible (ie. must have had higher than a 2.0 GPA and no more than 1 F on their last report card).

Rehearsals for the ensemble scene are held on Saturdays and some evenings throughout the month of September at HHS.

In the past, some of the honors and awards Hillcrest has won at the competition have included:

2011 Best Actor scholarship winner Bradley Mackay

*1st Place Sweepstakes (2011, 2010)

*1st Place Ensemble Scene (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007)

*Larry Lott "Best Actor" Scholarship (2011, 2010, 2008, 2007)

*1st Place Duo/Trio Scene (2011, 2010, 2008)

*1st Place Monologue (2011, 2010)

*In addition, Hillcrest's ensemble scene was the first scene to ever be asked to perform in front of the thousands of competitors at the competition's Closing Ceremonies in 2008.

The 2011 team rehearsing in their "magic" field.

Please spread the word to all of your friends (especially 9th graders who may not be aware they can audition) about auditions. They are the first week of school. There is no time to lose!

For more information on how to audition, please bookmark this website and check back shortly. You will be required to perform a monologue from a list of pieces that will be posted on this website very soon.

For more pictures from last year's competition, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/26293772@N07/sets/72157627800176103/