To compete, or not to compete? That is the question. The answer, in Freedom’s drama classes, would definitely be to compete. Students have taken on the aged beauty and difficulty of one of the most famous writers of all time: William Shakespeare, and have done a great job with it. Freedom’s student actors from the eighth grade and above, including three juniors and three seniors representing upperclassmen, made their way into the city on Feb. 17 to perform in the Pittsburgh O’Reilly theater in front of three professional judges. The students came prepared with individual monologues and two play scenes. They began preparing for the competition in December of 2009 in an effort to increase their chances of making the finals, an honor any actor would have much appreciation for. After leaving the school at 9 a.m. and stopping for a quick breakfast at Sheetz, the group traveled by bus into the city and to the theater. The students, accompanied by their teachers and acting coaches Ms. Ross, Mrs. Giammaria, and eighth grade teacher Ms. Rosenbaur, were met in the lobby by the organizer of the competition, Mr. Rob Zellers. After giving the students another half hour to practice while other schools performed for the judges, Zellers led the students in a large theater where three judges sat with score sheets. A total of 18 Freedom students performed monologues and scenes ranging everywhere from the love story of Romeo and Juliet to the much darker works of Hamlet and Macbeth. When the acting was said and done, the students were excited to be part of the experience. "I feel like I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about Shakespeare and performing," says Julie Scheller, a senior who attended the competition for her fourth and final year. In celebration of a successful day of competing, the teachers and actors stopped for lunch at Eat n’ Park to relax and discuss the events of the day. No schools would be alerted about the results or who made the finals until the following day. Finals were held on Friday, Feb. 19 in the same theater with competitors from schools all throughout the city and surrounding Pittsburgh area. Finals or no finals, the competition was a success and quite the experience for Freedom students. "I want to go again next year," junior Caitlynn Milligan, an excited competitor, said. Preparations will begin again the same time next year for another shot at the finals for Freedom students. For now, Shakespeare will be retired for the year, but for Freedom’s Shakespeare competition, students can happily take their bow.