Dilay Akcora represents Samo at annual Shakespeare competition

Samo senior and prominent theater, choir and Shakespeare student, Dilay Akcora (’19) has been selected to move forward to the semi-finals, representing Samo in this year’s English-Speakers Union National Shakespeare Competition.For the last seven years, one chosen Samo student has competed under the mentorship of English and Shakespeare Literature teacher, Chon Lee. The competition occurs every spring and is open to any high school student in the country, though each school that participates can only send one student past the initial round. Every year, Lee and his Shakespeare Club hold auditions for the competition, carefully choosing first through third place winners. While all three winners receive school-wide recognition, only the first moves on to a pool of about 30 to 35 students in the semi-final round at Marlborough High School. The top five performers from the semis are then sent to city finals at the Pasadena Shakespeare Club, where one winner is sent to the finals at Lincoln Center in New York City. Samo has made it to the finals twice in previous years, both times represented by Judy Durkin (’18).The third and second place winners of the first round at Samo this year were, respectively, Mateen Bizar (’19) and Rosalind Jewett (’20). First place went to Akcora, a seasoned Shakespeare competitor whom Lee is thrilled to be coaching in her next endeavor.“Dilay ranked first, not just because of her content knowledge but due to her artistic choices. They’re very nuanced and exude a charisma that stood out above the other two, though they were wonderful as well,” Lee said.Lee is very confident in his choice of sending Akcora to the next portion of the competition, as she has had much experience in both analyzing and performing Shakespeare’s work.“My interest in Shakespeare began as a freshman, when I was first introduced to Shakespearean plays. I started reading more and more over the summer, and ended up competing in Shakespearean competitions,” Akcora said. “My favorite part about performing Shakespeare is the ability to make a myriad of choices with a character. Shakespearean characters, sonnets and monologues can be interpreted in so many ways!”Last year, Akcora became the first Samo student to earn the first place win in the Audition Monologue category of the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California’s (DTASC) Spring Shakespeare Competition. She is very grateful for another chance to represent Samo.“As for any competition, I am a bit nervous. But more than the nerves, I am just excited to be a part of this educational opportunity. I feel so honored and thrilled to be representing Samo once again in a Shakespearean competition. I am so excited to hopefully advance and hope to represent this wonderful, talented and multifaceted school in the best way possible through the steps ahead,” Akcora said.Lee will coach Akcora in a chosen sonnet and monologue in preparation for the oncoming rounds of competition. Semi-finals are scheduled for Feb. 23, city-finals for March 15 and finals for April 29.“I’m really proud of her. I think she’ll do really, really well and represent our school exceptionally,” Lee said.