William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (often shortened to Hamlet) is a story of revenge, treachery, and death… mostly death. OCSA’s last drama mainstage production of Hamlet, lightly abridged by Peter Gould, for the Governor’s Institute on the Arts 2007 and for the SHAKESPEARE FREE LIBRARY, is set to premiere next Thursday and Friday, on April 11th and 12th respectively, from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Tickets are $10 on MySchoolBucks or at the door!
Hamlet follows a young prince whose father was murdered by his uncle Claudius and is tasked with the endeavor of revenge. Plots are uncovered as he debates the reality of it all, all while having seemingly gone “mad.” To be, or not to be, that is the question.
Director Mr. Clegg is overseeing the production alongside 4 assistant directors, senior Theatre Majors Carolina Jaramillo Alzate, Raina Sanchez, Sebastian Montalvo Muguruza, and Mark Tomaz.
As for the main cast, Mycheal McGinley takes the lead as Hamlet himself, Elliott Acebo as King Claudius, and Mimi Zeigler as Queen Gertrude. Anjulina Chukwu is the character of Polonius, Trevor Doty as Horatio, Andrea Betancourt as Ophelia, and Ness Knight as Laertes.
Assistant director Carolina Jaramillo Alzate says, “Mr. Clegg usually likes to have at least one classical piece for his students within their four years at OCSA, as he believes it is equally important to analyze and sharpen the skills of an actor in the works of the classics as they would with a contemporary piece. Although Shakespeare is written in English, it is completely different than the modern way we speak. It is basically a whole new language. Iambic pentameter is the rhythm he uses within his plays and for a beginner actor or mind it can be difficult to follow. However, with Clegg’s excellent directing and everyone’s dedication we managed to catch on quickly and now we feel like professional in that linguistic period.”
Though Carolina had many favorite parts, she said that it was most likely having the ability to apply Clegg’s teaching into a full-blown play compared to 10-minute scenes in class. “The heavy story has allowed me to challenge myself and although it can be difficult at times, it all makes up for it once you see it come together. It showed me the euphoric feeling that I get on stage can also happen in the directing chair.”
When asked what she was most excited about for the premiere, Carolina said, “I think every director, or assistant director will always be the most excited to see their complete work in front of an audience for the first time. For some people it might be 2 hours of entertainment, but to me this piece reflects the hours of character analysis, hours of costume and set design, and so much more driven through the love people have of the art. But outside of that sappy stuff, I would like to add that I can’t wait for the audience to see the final scene, as it was the most fun to direct.” She says that every production is a filled with immense cast bonding and that no happiness can compare to the feeling that everyone in the room all has love and dedication for the art.
Assistant director Carolina reminds everyone who comes to see Hamlet to understand, “…it’s not a highly convoluted and uppity tale of royalty but rather a tragedy about a teenager who’s lost his father and is trying to figure out his place in the world without him. More broadly, I’d like people to rid themselves of their preconceived notions of the play.”
Rediscover one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays in OCSA’s production of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark!
