2024 ESU Atlanta Shakespeare Competition

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Sixteen high school students competed in the annual ESU Atlanta Shakespeare Competition at the Shakespeare Tavern on Feb 25, 2024. Here are the top performers:

1st Place – Amelia G., St Pius X Catholic High School (Chamblee, Dekalb). Teacher Jami Warren. 

2nd Place – Mars W., Westminster School (Buckhead, Fulton). Teacher Kate Morgens. This is Miss Wilkiemeyer's second appearance on our stage. 

3rd Place – Charlotte C., Mount Vernon School (Sandy Springs, Fulton) Teacher Tyler Dale. 

Amelia G. will represent ESU Atlanta in New York City as a participant in ESU's 41st National Competition on April 15th at Lincoln Center. The 1ST PLACE winner of the National Competition will receive a fully funded summer study abroad at the BRITISH AMERICAN DRAMA ACADEMY MID-SUMMER CONSERVATORY PROGRAM at Oxford University.

1st Place Winner Amelia G. with ESU President Susan Phillips

Our ESU Atlanta Shakespeare Competition benefits from the many hours that students and teachers dedicate to preparing for this event. This is the second year in a row that St. Pius X has taken first place, albeit with a different teacher. Their last theater teacher was Tracey Buot, and Jami Warren is the current teacher. Westminster has participated since the early 1990's. Kate Morgens has been the teacher for many years, and her students regularly do well. Ms Morgens was inducted into Westminster's Hall of Fame for alumni who excel in the arts. She graduated from the school in 1991, and she is in good company – actors Brian Baumgartner and Ed Helms of The Office fame were two of her classmates! Mount Vernon High School has become a theater power-house in recent years due in large part to one student, Miss Arden Adams, who won our competition two years in a row, and placed third in another year! We are happy to report that she is continuing to pursue her passion for the stage as a student at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She will graduate in 2025 with a BFA.

Thank you to Diane and Randy Brannen for the phenomenal job they do each year in organizing and presenting this event. 

Congratulations, Amelia!

See photos of the event

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General Membership Meeting - February 15

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General Membership Meeting

Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 4pm

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Dr. Manning Patillo Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

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Dr. Manning Patillo's contributions to the English Speaking Union were recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the October 2023 ESUUS National Conference. Charles Maddrey, Board Chair, presented the award to Dr. Patillo's daughter.

Dr. Manning Patillo joined the Atlanta Branch of the ESU in 1975 and served in many leadership roles over the years. As President and then Board Chairman, he led the Branch in implementing financial policies that continue to benefit us to this day, and in providing programs and community outreach that support ESU activities.

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The 2024 National Shakespeare Competition Starts Now!

News – December 1, 2023

We are pleased to announce the kick-off of the ESU's National Shakespeare Competition! Schools in our region may enter now, giving students the opportunity to compete in The Atlanta Branch Competition.  The winner of the branch competition will travel to NYC to compete in the national finals at Lincoln Center!  

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2023 Teaching and Learning Abroad Scholar

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Pierson Bauer
2023 Teaching and Learning Abroad Scholar

English Speaking Union Atlanta

The Atlanta branch of the English Speaking Union (ESU) is delighted to announce that Pierson Bauer has been awarded our Teaching and Learning Abroad (TLaB) Scholarship for 2023. Pierce teaches in the English Language Arts Department at Druid Hills High School in DeKalb County. He teaches British Literature and  journalism,  and sponsors the student newspaper. Pierce plans to use this scholarship to study English Literature at Exeter College, Oxford, this summer. The scholarship, for active classroom teachers, fully funds a study abroad program and provides a travel stipend.  

Pierce shares that  "In British Literature classes at Druid Hills, the majority of my students are in their final year of school, and this course, for many, is the final literature class they will ever take. If I can impart to them my knowledge from my time studying at Oxford, that would provide a unique opportunity for my students to grow as literature scholars in their final year before graduating high school."

ESU Atlanta wishes Pierce a successful summer of study as he prepares to spend July in Oxford, and that this experience enhances his connection to his students, colleagues, and community.

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