by Shai Cohen This past Wednesday, I had the privilege to compete in the New York State Semi-Finals of the English Speaking Union's Shakespeare Competition. I had prepared a monologue and a sonnet to perform on stage in the New York Public Library. With a lot of help from Mrs. Levitt and Ms. Lewis, I dove into the meaning behind Shakespeare's words in order to display the emotions hidden in the lines. When we arrived at the library, there were 23 contestants and approximately 50 people in the audience. Many of the contestants did a great job; sonnets and monologues ranged from incredibly dramatic or emotional to comedic and joyful. As I sat in the audience waiting for my turn, my stomach began to churn and my heart rate skyrocketed. Worried about forgetting my lines or messing up, my nervousness got the best of me. However, once I walked onstage, I wasn't nervous at all. I looked out into the audience and felt ready to put on a show for everyone. My performance was good and I didn't miss a beat or a line. The sonnet worked well with a mixture of emotions while the monologue was a strong speech sending soldiers to battle. I had a great time performing and meeting many of the contestants there. Although I did not win and move on to the Finals, I greatly enjoyed the experience and I truly think that I gained something from it. I would like to thank Mrs. Levitt and Rabbi Jordan Rosenberg (a former MTA instructor) for coaching me for this event and Ms. Lewis for providing support and interpreting the sonnet with me. I would also like to thank the runner-up, Zack Kaufman ('13), who performed a very well-done monologue from Hamlet, and Isaac Krasnopolsky ('13) for providing support in the audience. It was a very interesting experience and I am looking forward to winning the Semi-Finals next year.