For many, Shakesperior's annual event is the highlight of the year. It's a celebration of our department's anniversary, hosted by the English Department Student Association (EDSA). EDSA always puts in a tremendous amount of effort to ensure the event is successful and engaging for all students. This includes involving students in the recruitment process for the organizing committee. With beautiful management from cohorts of 2021 and 2022, even the freshmen of the cohort of 2023 are pitching in to organize this event. Shakesperior has always been renowned for hosting both external and internal events. The external event is an English competition attracting high school students across East Java. Meanwhile, the internal event brings together EDSA families from the current cohort, alumni, lecturers, and department administrators. It's an excellent opportunity for EDSA and high school students to showcase their talents and skills. From organizing the event to performing on stage, everyone can play different roles and have a blast at Shakesperior.

This year, Shakespeare returns with the "Lost in Wonderland" theme. The aim is to bring all participants a fairytale aesthetic, dreamy atmosphere, and fantasy. Shakespearior has its niche, and this year, Shakesperior rebranded several competitions, both internal and external, into something brand new. In addition, Shakesperior has also reintroduced some competitions that were missing from last year's event. With the help of sponsors and media partners, Shakespearior 2023 has successfully promoted its publication across all social media platforms.

Starting from the first event, the internal event took place over three days in October 2023. Shakesperior held successful internal events: Pictionary Charades, EDSA League's basket and futsal competitions, and a Rap Session event in November. Pictionary Charades was the first to be held on October 13th. This fun game pitted active cohorts against each other in a battle of interpreting. The rules were simple: participants had to guess what their partner was drawing. Despite its simplicity, Pictionary Charades is arguably the most enjoyable internal game of Shakesperior 2023. The EDSA League took place the following day, consisting of two competitions: the basket tournament on October 14th and the futsal tournament on October 15th. All active cohorts participated in the event, showing their support for one another and competing with great enthusiasm. We didn't have many days to gather together, but Shakesperior has the opportunity to make it happen once a year. 

On November 3rd, the internal events continued. However, rather than competitions and fun games, participants engaged in serious yet enjoyable discussions involving students, lecturers, and department administrators. The Rap Session event allowed its participants to express their complaints, criticisms, and suggestions regarding the learning process. It was a valuable opportunity for everyone to voice their concerns and ideas.

For the external event, Shakesperior has a total of four English competitions, beginning with the Spelling Bee on October 21-22. With participants from over 20 schools across East Java, the Spelling Bee event successfully presented three winners in its final. On October 28-29, Shakesperior held the next competition, the English Olympics, with participants from over 20 schools, and once again succeeded in presenting three winning teams in the final. The external event continued on November 4-5 with the Debate competition, which had a total of 16 teams from various schools competing with each other. In the final, three winning teams and three best speakers were presented. The last external event was the News Anchor competition, which was held on November 18th. The News Anchor competition started on November 5th for its preliminary round, and participants must upload a video of themselves presenting the news on their social media. The jury, experts in newscasting fields, then chooses the six best from all the participants to compete again in the final. From that, the champion, runner-up, and favorite participant will be selected to receive their rewards and appreciation. All the winners from the external competitions will receive a trophy, certificate, and prize money.

On November 23rd, the closing of the Shakesperior event series took place. All active cohorts, lecturers, and department administrators gathered for a night to enjoy the performance featuring every active cohort and guest performances by BSO Musik, EDSAMAN, and Fibra Dance. The night's highlight was the love letter delivery, during which participants could write heartfelt messages to anyone they desired, and the letters would be delivered to the recipients. Appreciation and a reward were also given to the winner of the internal competition of Shakesperior 2023. The Shakesperior closing party was a night worth remembering and a wonderful way to unite the EDSA family.

So, what was your favorite Shakesperior moment this year? Well, mine was all of them. I enjoyed every event held by Shakesperior, and they have undoubtedly secured a special spot in my memories. We cannot deny that there may have been some hiccups in the process of preparing for the event, but Shakespearior will always be here every year to remind us that EDSA is home and we are a family to each other. Every moment of Shakesperior should be something we can enjoy telling others about and be a wonderful memory for each of us. Shakesperior 2023 might have already ended, but there will always be a better Shakesperior every year, so see you in Shakesperior 2024!