The 50th All Island Inter School Shakespeare Drama Competition has taken the spotlight as the most anticipated school theatre festival this year. The competition will take place on Friday, 26th September 2025 at the Bishop’s College Auditorium, featuring two categories.

Boys’ Schools Finalists : Royal College, Colombo, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia and St. Peter’s College, Colombo

Girls’ Schools Finalists : Bishop’s College, Colombo 3, Holy Family Convent, Colombo 4, Ave Maria Convent, Negombo and Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo 4.

For five decades, the competition has celebrated the talent, brilliance and vibrancy of young performers on stage, giving them an opportunity to look at today’s world through a young poetic eye and keep Shakespeare’s timeless artifacts alive.

Shakespeare’s plays bring all sorts of emotions of humans to life, blending fact and drama with love, betrayal, power, revenge, tragedy and comedy. Above all, Shakespeare’s language, rich in poetry, rhythm and emotion resonates with audiences worldwide and while witnessing that, you will get the chance to explore how tragic heroes like Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet grapple with ambition and lovers like Romeo and Juliet battle with fate.

The finalists have reached this stage under the mentorship of distinguished professionals who continue to inspire passion, imagination and creativity in the fields of literature and drama.

The milestone 50th anniversary will crown the Winner, Runner-Up, 2nd Runner-Up and the 3rd Runner-Up in each category. Thus, the audience can expect an unforgettable evening, filled with creativity, passion, performance as well as real competition making it more significant for students, schools and theatre lovers across the nation.

Each participating school has already proven their excellence in earlier rounds and now these four powerhouses from each category will battle their way to the coveted tile, showcasing not only their love, talent and creativity for art but also their mastery of Shakespeare’s language the core purpose of this cultural experience.

Tickets will be available from 22nd September at the Bishop’s College Auditorium.

With its legacy of producing finest performances of Sri Lankan talent on stage, the Shakespeare Drama Competition is more than a contest. It is a celebration of art, literature and youth talent at its peak. And to be given the chance to witness such with your own eyes will be a magical experience.

So, bring your friends and family to be part of Shakespeare’s magic these young talents will bring to life on stage!