Shakespeare Competition Winner

Dominican Academy student Margaret Schumacher, ’24, won the 2024 English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition New York City Branch State Finals, held earlier in the year at the Morgan Library in Manhattan.

In a video shared by the competition organizers, Margaret performed Sonnet 116 and a monologue from “Twelfth Night” in the role of Viola. She was the sole Catholic school competitor out of 10 NYC finalists. The dedicated student actor said the win could not have happened without the support received from her all-honors Catholic girls secondary school, Dominican Academy.

D.A. English Teacher Ms. Zoe Spelman helped to prepare her for the competition. Ms. Spelman said she was ecstatic to be there to support Margaret as she earned this prestigious honor. 

Ms. Spelman said, “One of the most beautiful moments of my 28-year teaching career was to hear Maggie recite her monologue and sonnet tonight. Even if she had not won, she was magic.”

Margaret advanced to the Nationals held at Lincoln Center in April of 2024 and placed in the top 10.