36th Annual ESU National Shakespeare Competition
1st PLACE NATIONAL WINNER
Every year, more than 15,000 high school students compete in the National Shakespeare Competition sponsored by the English-Speaking Union.
After placing as a national semi-finalist in 2018, Maria won first place in 2019, reciting Rosalind from As You Like It and Sonnet 29, along with a cold read of Imogen from Cymbeline.
For winning first place at the National Shakespeare Competition, Maria was awarded a full scholarship to a three-month intensive conservatory program at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford UK.
Maria was also interviewed on NPR's "The Sound of Ideas" radio show, during which she discussed her approach to acting, her passion for Shakespeare, and how students can better understand, appreciate, and perform Shakespeare.
To view the interview only, click on the video to the left. Click here to view the entire program. Maria's interview starts at marker 40:00.
