Universally Shakespeare

Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand is celebrating its 35th anniversary year and its Festivals.

“It is exciting to see the range of plays in the 2026 SGCNZ Victoria University of Wellington Regional Shakespeare Festival registrations, already from 32 of his plays and a set of sonnets, with the more seldom performed. These include Cymbeline, Two Noble Kinsmen, Troilus & Cressida, Coriolanus to name but a few,” said Dawn Sanders, SGCNZ CEO, “and with large casts, several of 20 or more.”

What is also symbolic of the cultural inclusivity is the number of different ethnicities involved. In one school’s cast of 22 actors in one of their scenes, only 5 identify themselves as NZ European. The rest are a mix of Māori, Egyptian, Sri Lankans, Indians, Afrikaners, Far Eastern, Bangladeshi, Australian and North American. The unifying effect of this and acceptance required to create a cohesive team of players is a powerful endorsement of the universality and impact Shakespeare has on our rangatahi. The richness this creates of their ensuing interpretation feeds into their scene.

Since Covid, and stresses on teachers, more and more students from different schools are uniting to form community groups in order to be able to participate. “Impressive is their attention to detail as they navigate the process, learning a wealth of entrepreneurial and management skills, all with mentoring at close hand,” added Sanders.

Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington continues as the naming sponsor of SGCNZ’s Festivals in 2026. Professor Sarah Ross describes, “We are delighted to help bring to life SGCNZ’s vision of transforming lives through the performance of Shakespeare. Every year, students from the SGCNZ festivals come to Te Herenga Waka with the creativity, passion, and courage that they learn through this experience.”

The National Shakespeare Festival 2026 will be held in Wellington 28 May to 1 June. The schedule is available on the SGCNZ website https://www.sgcnz.org.nz/.