Actors Reflecting on Their Roles in the Production of Hamlet
Actor Reflections Part 1
Grace
Something I particularly enjoyed a lot about this project was that it really helped me understand the dialogue, action, characters, and what events happen throughout Hamlet. I often have trouble reading Shakespeare because I sometimes miss the big events that are happening, and when I read the script, it really helped me understand the actions and what the characters are going through. It also helped me because I got to approach the material in way that I am passionate about. I obviously am used to approaching a script in a certain way, so approaching the actions and events in Hamlet in a more modern adaptation really helped me understand what was going on and become more engaged with the material in a way that I enjoyed.
Alexander
At first, it seemed a bit weird to be playing a homeless man, but more and more I understand and see why this adaptation was made. From the minute I started to put on costume and makeup and was reading my lines aloud to other actors, I was easily able to see the similarities behind a ghost and this character. Like a ghost, my character is seen by a fraction of the cast, and nobody believes that I even exist. My character’s lines themselves seem like ones that a ghost would say. They are all about the end of my life, seeing how Hamlet Sr’s life kind of ended when he went to jail for "alleged" fraud. As well, I felt this incredible feeling of loneliness with my costume. Hamlet Sr. lost everything after his accusation: his wife, his job, his family, his company, his reputation, and his lines really showcase that feeling of emptiness and shame. Claudius is a very different character from his brother, the homeless man, AKA Hamlet Sr. Claudius is not empty or lonely, in fact his character is the exact opposite. HE has this sense of swagger in his character that is very evident in all of his scenes. He is living large after his rise in power. Take the meeting room scene; Claudius literally disregards his nephew’s feelings and decides that he wants to throw an extravagant party instead. Claudius has this sense of not really wanting to work hard, but instead reap the benefits of the misfortune of his brother. It’s really interesting to compare this to the actual text and see how these images are mirrored in the actual text as well. The fact that Claudius and Hamlet Sr. are so different makes their adaptations special and very fascinating to watch. It really gives the space for an actor like myself to live out two completely different personalities and see the conflict happen through the script with these different emotions.
Cole
In our modern, corporate adaptation of Hamlet, Laertes, Polonius's impetuous son, is portrayed as a young business student that is visiting from Paris. In the full play, Laertes comes back and confronts Hamlet about the death of his father Polonius. However, our one act version only has Laertes sternly giving his sister Ophelia advice before leaving again to continue his education. It was a pleasure to play Laertes in this production, and I strove to bring life to the character in the few opportunities that the script presented. A relatively minor part in our modern adaptation of Hamlet, Barnardo is one of the security guards that first sees the old homeless man that is later revealed to be Hamlet's disgraced father and former CEO of their company. Barnardo's scenes in Act 1 revolve around seeing Hamlet's father and convincing Hamlet that what he saw with Marcellus and Horatio was the real deal. I thought playing Barnardo was a pleasant surprise, as the revamped script allowed for more personality to come through even though Barnardo is a pretty static and minor character in the original play.