MTA sophomores Tzvi Simchon and Elya Rothstein competed against each other last week in an effort to get to the next round of the National Shakespeare Competition, reciting soliloquies from Shakespeare’s works for a panel of MTA faculty judges. To participate in the competition, students read, analyze and perform Shakespearean monologues in three qualifying stages: school, community and national levels.

After winning the school-level match, Rothstein will go on to compete in the next community round against students from schools across New York, which will be held in February at the English Speaking Union. “Typically, it’s only seniors who compete, but this year, we had very ambitious sophomores who really love Shakespeare,” said Harriet Levitt, MTA English department chair. “We will prepare Elya for the competition with as many resources as possible, including the ability to work with members of our English department and Yeshiva University to hone his skills, as many of the students he will compete against work with their own drama coaches.” Simchon will also accompany Rothstein to the competition to cheer him on.