The Kansas City Branch of the English-Speaking Union is excited to announce the winners of its 41st annual Shakespeare Competition held on February 23, 2025. Emma Scherman, a sophomore from Paola High School, Paola, Kansas, won First Place in the ESU Kansas City Branch Shakespeare Competition.
Mac Sheforgen, from Salina Central High School, Salina, Kansas, was the runner-up, and Heidi Nance, from Notre Dame de Sion High School, Kansas City, Missouri, came in third place. Nina Ludlum was the sponsoring teacher at Paola High School; Barbara Hilt sponsored the competition at Salina Central High School; and Maggie Killian and Erin Hamer-Beck were sponsoring teachers at Notre Dame de Sion High School. Prior to the Branch Competition, over 100 students, teachers, and volunteers participated in preliminary competitions at seven high schools in the Kansas City Branch’s region, which is the entire State of Kansas and western Missouri.
Ms. Scherman impressed the judges with her performance of the character Parolles’ monologue in Shakespeare’s play All’s Well That Ends Well and her recitation of one of Shakespeare’s sonnets. The ESU Kansas City Branch and the ESU will pay expenses up to $1,850 for Ms. Scherman and a parent to travel to New York City in April for ESU’s National Shakespeare Competition. As the winner of the Kansas City Branch Competition, Ms. Scherman has also been awarded a full scholarship to Shakespeare Exploration, a summer camp of the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.
The Kansas City Branch Competition was held at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library. The judges for the Branch Competition were Sidonie Garrett, Executive Artistic Director of the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, who has directed 20 of Shakespeare’s plays; Melinda McCrary, Director of Education at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, who has been an actor and director in numerous plays, including over 20 productions of Shakespeare’s plays; and Mark Robbins, a founding member of the Kansas City Actors Theatre, who has more than 170 professional directing and acting roles to his credit, including title roles in productions of Shakespeare’s plays.
From Saturday, April 26 to Monday, April 28, 2025, Branch Champions from across the country will gather in New York City for an unforgettable weekend of inspiration, learning, and performance. The weekend will culminate with the Final Competition at Juilliard’s Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center.
The 2025 prizes for the National Competition are as follows:
1st Place National Winner: A full scholarship to attend the British American Drama Academy Mid-Summer Conservatory Program at Oxford, England.
2nd Place National Winner: A full scholarship to attend the American Shakespeare Center Theatre Camp in Staunton, VA.
3rd Place National Winner: $1,000
Four previous ESU Kansas City Branch winners have placed in the top-ten finals of the ESU National Shakespeare Competition, two previous Kansas City Branch winners won First Place in the National Competition, one previous winner won Second Place, and one previous winner won Third Place in the National Finals.
(L to R) Julie Robinson, President; Dan Bukovac, Shakespeare Competition Coordinator; Heidi Nance, Third Place Winner; Mac Sheforgen, Second Place Winner; Emma Scherman, First Place Winner.