Hamlet - State Theatre

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Adapting the Play 6 In bringing a play to life onstage, the director and the creative team may decide to adapt the material—make changes in the text, setting, or other aspects—to make it work within a particular set of conditions. Aquila’s Robert Richmond comments on some of the choices the company made in bringing their vision of Hamlet to the stage. • CHANGES IN THE TEXT - Some portions of the play have been cut, a usual practice in staging Shakespeare today. Some other sections of the text have been moved or assigned to another character. We strongly believe that you should never cut something merely because you don’t understand it. But with no cuts, Hamlet would take almost 4 hours to perform. We tried to trim the script down to a time frame that is practical for a modern audience, without losing any essential parts of the story. Our version runs about 2fi hours, including intermission. • CASTING - There are eight actors in this production, though there are more parts than that in the play. In adapting the play for the available cast, some small roles have been cut, while in other cases an actor will “double”—take on more than one role. (For example, the actor playing Polonius later plays Osric, while another actor portrays both the Ghost and the Gravedigger.) Doubling the smaller roles gives more to do for the actors who are not playing a lead part. It also challenges those performers to come up with a distinctive way of moving and speaking for each of their characters so the audience does not get confused. Shakespeare on the Screen Shakespeare’s work has been extremely popular on the big screen. (Laurence Olivier, left, won an Academy Award for his 1948 Hamlet.) Like the director of a stage play, film directors and screenwriters make critical choices about how they want to express their vision of the play. With the ability to shoot at different locations and to create special visual effects, however, filmmakers have many more options at their disposal. Some Shakespeare films remain faithful to the original plays or are simply a live stage performance captured on film. Other directors choose to set the story in a different place and/or time. Some decide to keep the basic story while rewriting the script in modern language to allow new audiences to be drawn in by Shakespeare’s characters and themes. The resource list (page 9) lists just a few of the many film versions of Hamlet. Adapting Hamlet Robert Richmond • Did you notice any of the missing text while watching Aquila’s Hamlet? What parts would you cut if you were the director? • Did you notice the actors who played more than one role? How did they use their voice and body to create the different characters? • If you were going to create your own adaptation of Hamlet, would you choose to put in on stage or on film? How would you change the way the story is presented? Why? Are there ideas you’ve seen in other versions of Hamlet that you’d use in your own adaptation? • Watch three different film versions of the Hamlet and Gertrude scene (Act III, scene iv). With your classmates, discuss the differences among the three film adaptations and Aquila Theatre’s staging: What time period do the set and costumes indicate? Is there any music and, if so, what effect does it have on the performance? What different choices did you see the directors and actors making? Which version did you think was most effective? Why?
Production Elements 7 Aquila Theatre Company uses the visual elements of live theater to create the atmosphere for the various settings in Hamlet. The scenery, costumes, and lighting work together to help the audience enter the world of the play. These aspects of the production were designed specifically to help communicate the company’s ideas about the play, keeping in mind the practical concerns of a touring show. THE SETS Since Aquila’s productions tour around the U.S. and play in theaters of different sizes, the sets must be compact and light enough to pack up and travel across the country by truck or plane. The backdrop is a large scrim—a piece of translucent fabric that, when lit from behind, reveals the actors behind it. This technique is incorporated during scenes with the Ghost as well as scenes during which people are spying on others. The set pieces for Hamlet are fairly simple: a square groundcloth, wooden chairs, and wooden folding screens. A large wooden box with a plank top used is used as a bed, Ophelia’s bier, the grave in the gravedigger scene, etc. D During the show, watch how the same objects are used in different ways. THE COSTUMES AND PROPS Costumes and props help establish the play’s time period and location, and also indicate the age and social position of the characters. In Aquila’s production of Hamlet, the design team created costumes and props that, for the most part, look like the clothes and items people wear and carry today. (For example, the guards carry guns instead of swords.) A few aspects of the production more closely resemble Shakespeare’s era: the duel between Laertes and Hamlet is done with swords. D During the show, notice the use of both contemporary and period props and costumes. How do the costumes help define the age and social status of the different characters? Would it have been as easy for you to notice these distinctions if the actors had been dressed in 17th-century costumes? THE LIGHTING The lighting design helps convey mood, atmosphere, and time, and helps the audience focus on a particular image. The speed and movement of the lighting are carefully coordinated with the actors and music. Color is a key element in the lighting design. Thin sheets of colored plastic, called gels, are used in front of a lighting fixture to change the color of the light. To achieve depth and dimension, gobos (sheets of metal with designs cut into them) are placed in front of lighting fixtures to create patterns on the stage floor or in the air. Where the lighting is placed is also important. Side light “sculpts” the actors and gives them dimension. Direct front light flattens out the actors’ appearance, while back light makes a performer stand out from the background. A “special”—direct light on an actor—draws focus onto a performer and helps them connect with the audience. D During the show, look for interesting patterns created by light shining through the folding screens.
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Hamlet - State Theatre

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