In the News

All the world’s a stage for New Haven ACES ECA students in Shakespeare competition

March 10th, 2017

Peter Hvizdak — New Haven Register
Malenky Welsh of Branford, 18, right, was the first place competition winner in the Greenwich English Speaking Union 33rd Annual Shakespeare Competition and Willow Giannotti-Garlinghouse of New Haven, 17, left, won second place in the statewide Shakespeare monologue competition, both representing the ACES Education Center for the Arts Theatre Department. Welsh is now eligible to compete on the national level.

By Brian Zahn, New Haven Register

NEW HAVEN >> This winter, ACES Educational Center for the Arts student Malenky Welsh isn’t sharing in our discontent.

Welsh, a senior from Branford, was one of 22 Connecticut students performing a Shakespearian monologue and sonnet at the English-Speaking Union’s state level Shakespeare Competition in Greenwich. Welsh, who performed a monologue by the Duchess of Gloucester in William Shakespeare’s Henry VI and his Sonnet 54, won top honors at the March 1 event, and will represent Connecticut at the national level in May.

Despite these accolades, Welsh feels most accomplished for rising to the challenge set before her.

“The idea of first place isn’t as important as feeling proud of your work,” Welsh said.

Although Welsh believes she eventually delivered a strong performance, it didn’t always feel like a guarantee for her.

“When I was coaching I was having trouble connecting to (the material),” she said. Even the day of the competition, she said, she was unsure if she could tap into the right emotions.

Ingrid Schaeffer, chairwoman of the ACES ECA Theatre Department, said it took some practice for Welsh to fully commit to the character’s sense of deep shame.

Welsh’s classmate, senior Willow Giannotti-Garlinghouse took second place in the Shakespeare Competition.

“Through this competition I discovered how much I enjoy (Shakespeare’s) work,” she said. “I never really understood his language, but he uses words in such a sophisticated and purposeful way.”

Giannotti-Garlinghouse said being around other students performing Shakespeare was exciting for her as a theater arts student.

“It helped me to see it not so much as a contest, but as a chance to showcase our work,” she said.

Both Welsh and Giannotti-Garlinghouse said ACES ECA provided them with a tremendous well of support as performers.

"This is a unique way to discover theater. Everybody works hard and strives to do better,” Giannotti-Garlinghouse said.

Although Giannotti-Garlinghouse has spent part of her day for the duration of her entire high school career at ACES ECA—and has spent over a decade under Schaeffer’s tutelage—Welsh’s journey has been much shorter. She began with the program in her junior year, yet she feels its full embrace.

“It’s been such an amazing learning experience overall,” she said. “Not only do I get training, but I also became a part of this community.”

For Giannotti-Garlinghouse, enrolling in the arts magnet program was a “no-brainer” because of her longtime interest in the arts. She was accepted to the University of Connecticut and hopes to become involved in directing plays.

“It comes from the ability to use the entire stage,” she said. “You have this canvas and it can create a story and you control every part of the stage.”

Welsh isn’t positive whether she will pursue the arts after graduation, but she’s considering it. What’s more immediate for her is the looming national competition at the Lincoln Center in New York City.

“I’m really excited, but also a little nervous,” she said. “I’m excited to see other students. There’s a learning experience in seeing people perform.”

Welsh’s appearance will be a first for her, but it’s not uncharted territory for her school. Schaeffer estimated that ACES ECA has sent a student to the national competition 10 times in the last 15 years. Last year, ACES ECA student Zoë Oliver earned second place in the national competition, and two years prior to that student Henry Ayres-Brown came in third overall.

Giannotti-Garlinghouse, who will star in the theater program’s production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” this month, offered a full endorsement of the ACES ECA program for helping her to accomplish so much in high school, beyond growing as an actor.

“ECA is a unique environment. My experience has been that they teach you how to be a person where you learn to be ok with falling short and picking yourself up and trying again,” she said. “It’s a little frightening with budget cuts coming down from the state.” She said that her ability to envision scenes as a director, a passion she connects directly to the program, has shown her something she can contribute culturally as a creator.

“Even if you’re working for IBM, you need to be creative,” said Schaeffer. “Creative people are the successful ones, and if you add passion, that’s everything.”