Young thespians are proving that Shakespeare still has the power to resonate with youth culture, because the first world problems of love, jealousy, and identity didn’t disappear with corsets and quills—they just changed platforms.
This King’s Birthday Weekend, a new generation of rangatahi will take to the stage at the National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington, hosted by Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand (SGCNZ) with support and sponsorship from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
From Romeo’s crush on Juliet and his attempts to slide into her DMs through her nurse; to Richard III’s sleepless nights thinking of those he cancelled—or the guy who gets caught in a custody battle between Titania and Oberon—the actors will give attendees a taste of how tuned-in Shakespeare was to the concerns of young people.
Dawn Sanders, founder and CEO of SGCNZ, says the kaupapa of the festival runs deep.
“This festival is about giving young people the tools to think critically, collaborate, take risks, and speak with confidence. Shakespeare holds something new for every generation, so he’s a great vehicle for these life lessons. In this, our thirty-fifth year of festivals, we are delighted to see the gifts of Shakespeare continue to be given to our teens,” says Dawn.
“Tragedy, comedy, protest, satire and joy collide across the festival programme, which showcases teams selected from 23 regional festivals held across the country. Around 4,000 students have taken part nationwide this year—making the festival one of Aotearoa’s largest youth-led cultural events!
“For the national festival, students from schools, homeschool clusters, and community youth drama groups will perform bold, contemporary takes on Shakespeare’s work, filtered through today’s language, politics, humour, and social realities.”
Professor Sarah Ross from Te Herenga Waka, one of Aotearoa’s leading Shakespeare scholars, is currently researching the role that the Bard played in Māori and Pākehā education in the late 1800s—connecting his global legacy to our local histories.
“Four centuries on, Shakespeare isn’t being preserved behind glass. He’s being remixed, re‑spoken, and re‑owned—by teenagers who recognise themselves in his characters and aren’t afraid to make the stories their own,” she says.
Two alumni of the programme and current students at Vic, Hune Edwards and Jimmy Muir, will return to emcee performances at the St James Theatre from 30 May—31 May, underscoring the festival’s long‑term impact. Many SGCNZ alumni go on to study at Te Herenga Waka.
The festival is a launchpad for young actors, Dawn says.
“Talent is actively scouted throughout the programme, with 46 students from the National and Regional Festivals selected to attend the SGCNZ National Shakespeare Schools Production intensive course later in the year. Students from this group—plus a winner from the Costume Design and Music Composition Competitions—are then selected to travel to London for further artistic development at the Globe Theatre, placing Aotearoa’s next generation of storytellers on one of the world’s most iconic stages.”
Festival details:
9.30 am – 5.30 pm, Saturday 30 May, 9.00 am – 5 pm, Sunday 31 May
Prizegiving, 7 pm – 9.30 pm, Sunday 31 May
St James Theatre, Courtenay Place, Wellington
Tickets are now available here: https://www.universe.com/events/sgcnz-victoria-university-of-wellington-national-shakespeare-festival-tickets-24RDNP?ref=universe-discover
And the National Festival performance schedule can be found here: https://www.sgcnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/35NPerfsPublicAll-1.pdf