I must begin by thanking Tyle Dale, Nick Ciavarra, Mary Finch, and Jennifer Vosters for their wonderful contributions to this project. Furthermore, I'd like to thank all that participated and all the donated. Please consider a donation if you are reading this article: ACLU DONATION.
I hope to continue this competition in the future. There are some things that I believe could be done better though. First of all, it would be better to have a few more writers. If the competition had eight writers, each could have a play in each quarter bracket. Then, no one would have to eliminate themselves before the Final Four. Next, I believe I could have done a better job of promoting the competition and the donation page. Luckily, I have a year before Fast Breaks and Billy Shakes will host this competition again. Any suggestions for doing so are welcome. I hope everyone enjoyed the posts and that it provided some respite from the craziness of the new world we live in that we have come to know as 2020.
Winning Play
Pericles
I'll be honest, Pericles is my least favorite play by Shakespeare. I don't know if this play winning is a shock to everyone, but it is to me. I thought it would be out in the first round. The whole point of this competition, however, is to vote for the better argument, and time after time the writing in defense of this play was superb. At times, I forgot how much I disliked the play. Pericles has had its day.
Winning Writer
Tyler Dale
Tyler Dale came in like a wrecking ball. Seriously though, Tyler is such an incredible artist and writer. He provided wit, introspection, and social context to this competition. All the writers are incredibly talented, but Tyler came out on top this year.
Great Quotes
The writers are awesome. Simple as that.
"This contest is down to the wire
Between Henry and some Prince of Tyre.
While H6 part 2
Has a whole lot to do
Somehow Pericles leaves me more tired."
"We get it, yeah, Richard the Third
Can woo and can fight with his words.
He is in this play.
At the end of the day
Without him, it's nothing but turds."
"Instead of puzzling over forgettable characters with pathological names, let’s talk about two of the most iconic characters in literature: Puck and Bottom. And what play brings them to us? All together now: MIDSUMMER."
"But as a work of art--as something heartfelt that shows us a glimpse into the writer's soul--Pericles is the clear winner."
"Hamlet takes its time. Like a fine wine, it aerates and deepens as the play goes on. You watch Hamlet ruminate and work his way through problems as the plot unfolds. And the play rewards the audience's patience as it doles out scenes of first, deeply-personal conflict to break up the well-paced moments of introspection and contemplation."
"This play is packed with so much action that it is bursting at the scenes."