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Teenager from San Francisco wins 2017 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition

National News

The three winners of the 2017
English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition
on stage at Lincoln Center in New York City
(l to r) – Third place winner Trevon Wainwright, First place winner Ogechi Egonu, and Second place winner Brandon Burk.

With a performance of a sonnet and monologue from Shakespeare's Othello, Ogechi Egonu from San Francisco, CA, a student of Jennifer Grimes at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, won the 34th annual English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. The Competition took place on May 1, 2017 on the Mitzi Newhouse Theater stage at Lincoln Center in New York City with 54 semi-finalists from as many ESU Branch competitions nationwide. Ogechi previously won the ESU San Francisco competition.

As the winner of the 34th English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition, Ogechi received a full scholarship to the American Shakespeare Center Theater Camp in Staunton, VA, this summer. Second place winner, Brandon Burk, from the Kentucky Branch, won a cash prize of $1,000 from the English-Speaking Union, while the third place winner, Trevon Wainwright, representing the Kansas City Branch of the ESU, received an award of $500 provided by The Shakespeare Society.

The finalists were:

Chinyelu Mwaafrika - Indianapolis Branch - Shortridge High School
Mya Ison - Research Triangle Branch - Enloe High School
Lee Ann Bael - New York City Branch - Edward R. Murrow High School
Malenky Welsh - Greenwich Branch - ACES Education Center for the Arts
Judy Durkin - Los Angeles Branch - Santa Monica High School
Rutvik Ashtikar - Princeton Branch - JP Stevens High School
Padraig Bond - Albany Branch - Shenendehowa High School

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ESU Branches to Send 40 Teacher-Scholars to the UK for Summer Study

National News

The Teachers Learning Abroad - TLab program has long provided American high school teachers the opportunity to continue their education at prestigious centers of learning in the United Kingdom.  This summer, 20 English-Speaking Union Branches will send 40 teacher-scholars to summer programs at the University of Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London, and the University of Edinburgh.

Summer 2017 represents a particularly exciting time for TLab teacher-scholars. Each teacher has selected and applied to a program of their choosing, and their ESU scholarship will cover all or portions of tuition, room and board and, in some cases, travel to the UK. Teacher-scholars will spend between two and three weeks in active study and will return home to begin a new school year invigorated and equipped to share their newly acquired teaching and learning strategies with colleagues and some 4,000 students.

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          Remembering Andrew Romay                         1922 to 2017

National Announcement

The Board and staff of the English-Speaking Union, with sorrow and sincere gratitude, remember the life and work of our beloved benefactor Dr. Andrew Romay, who passed away early this morning, February 10, 2017. 

Andrew Romay's favorite project was the program that is named for him, the English-Speaking Union Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC), and he wanted it to be his legacy for many years to come. Please support ARNIC today to honor Andrew Romay's memory and his wishes, donate here. 

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Announcing: New Study/Travel Courses in the UK for Teachers and ESU Members – at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Shakespeare's Globe, Oxford University and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford upon Avon!

National Announcement

The ESU has expanded its study abroad programs: Teachers Learning Abroad - UK.  In addition to the time-tested British University Summer School scholarship programs for teachers, TLab-UK offers new week-long courses, created exclusively by and for the ESU, which are open to teachers across the country as well as ESU members and life-long learners. The new TLab courses provide affordable educational / travel opportunities, unique to the ESU's heritage.  Course descriptions are posted on the ESU website, but here is the list of TLab-UK course offerings for 2017:

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Announcing: Luard-Morse Scholars for 2017-2018

National News

NEWBERRY AND RAMSAY WIN $50,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS
TO STUDY IN ENGLAND AS 2017 LUARD MORSE SCHOLARS

                              
                Mr. Leondre Ramsay                        Ms. Serena Newberry     

New York City: Ms. Serena Newberry, an English Education and Pre-Law major from Southfield, MI, a student at Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA, and Mr. Leondre Ramsay, a Political Science major and Community Development minor from Tallahassee, FL, a student at Howard University, Washington, DC, have each been selected as recipients of an English-Speaking Union Luard Morse Scholarship.  Christopher Broadwell, Executive Director of the English-Speaking Union, announced the winners, noting that each scholar will receive $25,000 toward a semester of study at any university their choosing in the United Kingdom during the 2017-2018 academic year.

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Holiday Celebrations at ESU-English in Action

National News

The English-Speaking Union celebrated the end of 2016 with two joyful holiday festivities for the ARNIC and EiA communities.

On November 21st, the English-Speaking Union hosted a special Thanksgiving feast to introduce members of its Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) and guests to this most iconic of American traditions. Three ARNIC alumni, Mohamed Berrakaoui, Leo Borello, and Alyona Glushchenkova, spoke to the assembly. They thanked Dr. Andrew Romay, founder and primary sponsor of ARNIC, for his support and shared their experiences in ARNIC that have helped them find paths to success in the US.  Each of them explained that this was the first time they had made public speaches in English. 

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Welcome Reception for British Consul General

National News

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"What Should I Do?" ARNIC Theater

National News

Members of the Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) once again demonstrated their extraordinary talents when they work and staged a premiere production of a new play at the English-Speaking Union. The play, "What Should I Do?" was written and directed by Gyunhyeong Kim and performed by Nataliia Omelchenko and Mamadou Diabate.

Reflecting their experiences as new immigrants, the play throws a spotlight on a moment when we stand at the crossroads of life: the stark choices which face us all and which, as one character put it, define "our short and irreversible lives." We watch as two people wrestle with this dilemma: Patricia (Nataliia), a talented painter who aspires to be an actress, and John (Mamadou), an acting coach, frustrated in his search for a talented acting pupil but discovering the gifted artist before him.  

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ESU Marks Shakespeare400 with Exclusive Summer Teacher Programs

National News

The English-Speaking Union celebrates Shakespeare400 this summer with its BUSS scholarship program, sending 24 American middle and high school teachers to the UK to explore the Bard's legacy.  

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Third Annual ARNIC Graduation Reception

National News

On May 18, the English-Speaking Union Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center celebrated its third year with a graduation ceremony attended by more than 100 graduates, their family and guests, and ESU teachers and volunteer tutors. The Open Society Foundations, a major supporter of the program, hosted the event at their offices in New York City.

The Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC), named for the program's key visionary and supporter, seeks to improve the lives of recent immigrants by providing resources and information to help them improve their English skills, assistance in exploring work and study opportunities, networking, and acquiring cultural fluency so that they may participate fully in American society. Launched

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