Student Actors to Vie in Battle of the Bards

More than 1,200 students from 45 Southern California high schools will compete Saturday in a Shakespeare Festival at Birmingham High School.

Aspiring high school actors will perform scenes from William Shakespeare’s plays in the 50th annual competition, sponsored by the Drama Teachers Assn. of Southern California.

“It’s like a giant track meet for kids in drama,” said C.J. Foss, play production and drama teacher at Birmingham. “When the festival is over, the students and onlookers who stay for the all-day event will see every scene from all of Shakespeare’s plays.”

Foss said participants from past festivals include Val Kilmer, Sally Field, Cuba Gooding Jr., Mare Winningham, Kevin Spacey and Nicholas Cage.

Valley high schools participating include Birmingham, Cleveland, Canoga Park, El Camino Real, Granada Hills, Grant, Monroe, Notre Dame, Van Nuys and Louisville.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for kids to see what other students are doing and it excites them about Shakespeare when they see it in a contemporary form,” Foss said. “Basically, they never knew they liked Shakespeare until they go to the festival.”

El Camino was the top school in last year’s festival. This year’s host school, Birmingham, finished fifth.

The event, which is open to the public, will run from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the outdoor assembly area in the main quad of the high school.

The top 10 schools will perform their final scenes in front of more than 100 judges from the entertainment industry, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Birmingham High School, 17000 Haynes St., Van Nuys, at (818) 881-1580.