(from L-R) Glen Beck, Nova Bulin, Rebecca Kenjesky, Audrey Anderson Aidan Kelly, Emma Graziadei, and Luke Pichichero
Farmingdale High School Thespians Receive Top Honors in Monologue Competition
This April, six students from Glen Beck’s theater class at Farmingdale High School entered a virtual monologue competition sponsored by Nassau Community College. The performers competed against other high schools with solid theater programs such as Long Island High School of the Arts, Holy Trinity, and Lynbrook. Farmingdale had the most wins of any other school, and three Dalers took home top honors.
This year’s Monologue Competition, organized by Nassau Community College’s Theater and Dance Department, took place on April 17 in a virtual format. High school students were divided into two groups, Underclassmen (9,10) and Upperclassmen (11,12). Performers’ monologues could be no shorter than 45 seconds and no longer than 75 seconds and had to fit the theme of the competition, “Wonder.” Within the two minutes allotted, performers were evaluated on appropriateness of material to the theme, dramatic effectiveness, including strong choices, clarity of expression, oral and non-verbal, and thoroughness of preparation/introduction and execution of the material.
“I selected these six students to represent Farmingdale in the 2021 Monologue Competition based on their effort, intention, and ability to connect with their respective pieces,” said theater teacher Glen Beck. “ I couldn't be more proud of the work they did.”
The students selected to represent Farmingdale High School in the Monologue Competition were: Rebecca Kenjesky, Audrey Anderson, and Luke Pichichero. Top honors were awarded to Aidan Kelly, who finished 2nd place in the upperclassmen category, reciting a monologue from “Dog Sees God.” Emma Graziadei took 3rd place in the same category with her monologue from “The Social Network.” Freshman Nova Bulin finished 2nd place in the underclassmen category with a performance from the comedic play “The Solve-It Squad.”
The Monologue Competition is sponsored by the Department of Theater and Dance at Nassau Community College. The Department of Theater and Dance provides enriched curricula for students enrolled in its discrete Associate in Arts degree programs: Acting, Dance, and Technical Theater.
For more information about the Farmingdale Union Free School District, please visit the district’s website at https://www.farmingdaleschools.org and like our Facebook page: @FarmingdaleSchoolDistrict.