News And Events

ESU Kansas City Branch Announces the 38th Annual Shakespeare Competition Finals

We are excited to announce that the 2022 ESU Kansas City Branch Shakespeare Competition Finals will be held virtually on Sunday, February 27, 2022, at 6:00 pm. The videos of the monologues and sonnets of the winners from the seven schools participating in the Competition will be shown during the program. Our three distinguished judges, Sidonie Garrett, Melinda McCrary, and Mark Robbins, will be watching the video performances and will make their decisions on First, Second, and Third place winners of the Kansas City Branch finals. The students will also have an opportunity to discuss their performances with the judges and to ask the judges questions.

 

This will be a virtual program and a great opportunity to see the students, teachers and judges live on Zoom. The program is open to the public and friends and family are invited and encouraged to attend. The program is free, but registration is required. You will be given a link to join the Zoom program after you register and will receive a reminder a few days before the program. Please register now.

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ESU Happy Hour

Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central Time

Roger Stacey, an officer on the Board of Directors of the ESU Boston Branch, will talk with William Sutton about his Victorian crime novel Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square, the first in Sutton's series of three historical thrillers set in mid-nineteenth-century Britain and featuring Metropolitan policeman Campbell Lawless. The conversation will touch upon Sutton's immersion in the times, his interest in reproducing regional period dialogue, and, more generally, the enduring appeal and utility of historical fiction. There will be ample time for questions from the viewers. Join this online Happy Hour on Wednesday, February 23 at 4:00 pm Central Time to learn about this exciting Victorian thriller. This is a free program, but registration is required. Please register here. Read More.


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ESU Invites All Kansas City Area High Schools To Enter Our 38th Annual Shakespeare Competition

Registration is underway for all Kansas City Metro High Schools and Home School Programs to enter our 38th Annual Shakespeare Competition. The deadline to register is January 24, 2022.

Students in grades 9-12 perform monologues (no more than 20 lines) from Shakespeare's plays and recite Shakespeare's sonnets at initial competitions that participating high schools and home schools organize. The winners of the school competitions then submit videos of their performances to compete in the Kansas City Branch finals.

The winners of ESU branch competitions from across the country advance to the ESU national competition and have an opportunity for an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for the National Finals.

If you are a Theatre, English or Forensics teacher or administer a home school program, we encourage you to enter to give your students an opportunity to participate in this exciting competition. If you are an interested high school student, please alert your teachers to this valuable program. For more details about the competition and a link to the online School Participation Form, or if you have any questions, visit the registration link listed below. Please register your school as soon as possible. The deadline to register is January 24, 2022.

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Virtual Annual Meeting

You Are Invited to Our
Free Virtual Annual Meeting

All ESU members of the Kansas City Branch are invited to our free Virtual Annual Meeting on Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 12:00 PM. We will be voting in our slate of Board of Directors for this coming year. Non-members are welcome to attend but only ESU members can vote on the slate of Board Members. Our in-person lecture program has been postponed and will be rescheduled.


After you register, you will receive a Zoom link to attend the Annual Meeting. This will be a brief meeting and all Kansas City members are encouraged to attend. We will be announcing upcoming ESU events at this Virtual Annual Meeting and we will also have drawings for some great door prizes. Please register today.

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ESU Happy Hour

Join Our Next Happy Hour:
A Centennial Celebration of Ulysses

Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 4:00 PM CST

ESU invites you to a special Happy Hour celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce's masterpiece novel—Ulysses. This Happy Hour is Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central Time. This is a free program, but registration is required.

James Joyce (1882-1941) was an Irish novelist, short story writer, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century.

His novel, Ulysses, was published in Paris February 2, 1922. This year, February 2, 2022, is Joyce's 140th birthday. Ulysses is considered one of the most important works of modernist literature. The novel is highly allusive and imitates the styles of different periods of English literature.

Since its publication, the book has attracted controversy and scrutiny, ranging from an obscenity trial in the United States in 1921 to protracted textual "Joyce Wars." The novel uses a stream of consciousness technique, careful structuring, and experimental prose—replete with puns, parodies, and allusions—as well as its rich characterization and broad humor.

Bill Kennedy, president of the ESU Cleveland Branch, will provide guidance and insight into what has been called the greatest novel of the 20th century, the beginning of 'Modernism' in literature, and perhaps the greatest novel ever written. Hopefully, we can all engage in a discussion of the book and its place in English literature.

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Kansas City Branch

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