By L. Wilson
Two months after the death of his father, the young Prince Hamlet witnesses the marriage of his mother Queen Gertrude to his uncle Claudius. Hamlet shows nothing but contempt for the new King. During the nightly watch, Hamlet’s trusted friend Horatio encounters a silent ghost of Hamlet’s father. Hamlet, confronted with this news, joins the watch to face the restless spirit.
Meanwhile, Laertes, concerned about his sister Ophelia’s apparent interest in the melancholy Prince Hamlet, cautions her against pursuing a relationship. Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain and father to both Laertes and Ophelia, forbids Ophelia to see the Prince again.
Later that evening, the ghost reappears but this time he reveals news concerning his untimely death. He describes how Claudius poisoned him and asks Hamlet to avenge his foul murder. Uncertain whether the ghost speaks true or is an evil spirit, Hamlet hesitates. He feigns madness and searches for proof of corruption before taking revenge.
Polonius believes Hamlet suffers from madness over Ophelia. The King, Queen and Polonius devise a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia, secretly observing the encounter. The Prince angrily rejects his supposed love.
Concerned about Hamlet’s troubled state of mind, the King and Queen send for his former schoolmates Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who agree to spy on the Prince. Hamlet suspects the two of collusion with the King and Queen and maintains his pretend madness. Meanwhile, a group of Players arrive at the castle of Elsinore. Hamlet solicits them to perform The Mousetrap wherein the killing of a King is performed. Hamlet carefully observes Claudius’s reactions during the course of the play searching for signs of guilt. The King starts violently thereby confirming the ghost’s accusation.
Hamlet, sure of Claudius’s culpability, begs Gertrude to stay away from tainted King. Alarmed by her son's demands, the Queen cries out causing the concealed Polonius to stir. Hamlet suspects it is the King spying behind the curtain and stabs him realizing afterward it is the meddling Polonius.
The King, fearing for his own safety, orders Hamlet to England escorted by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who carry sealed letters demanding the Prince's execution upon arrival. En route to England, Hamlet covertly replaces the letters given to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with new ones ordering their deaths.
Laertes returns to Elsinore seeking revenge for Polonius’s murder. The King and Laertes form an alliance against Hamlet and conspire to kill him in a duel by poisoning Laertes’s sword. Unfortunately, Ophelia, confused and depressed by Hamlet's rejection and her father’s murder, goes mad and drowns herself. Hamlet returns just in time to witness her funeral.
In the climactic scene, the murderous plot of the King and Laertes is cloaked by an ostensible gaming duel in which the King has wagered that his nephew can outscore Laertes. Unbeknownst to Hamlet, he faces an unbated and poison-anointed sword in the hands of Laertes, a sword destined to bring death to more than one person before the play’s end.
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PRODUCTION CONCEPT
By L. Wilson
“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite
That ever I was born to set it right.”
Hamlet is a man out of step with time. In the normal course of events, he would be enjoying college studies in Wittenberg. Instead, he is challenged by the ghost of his dead father to take revenge upon the man who murdered him. But revenge doesn’t come easily to Hamlet: he hesitates, unwilling to take the spirit at his word. Director Jim Symons equates Shakespeare’s world of ghosts, intrigue and madness to ones created by early 19th century writers like Edgar Allen Poe and Nikolai Gogol. These writers explored the fear of being enslaved by one’s own inventions. Is the ghost an invention of the devil, a disguised evil spirit prompting Hamlet to murder? Or is it truly his father’s spirit, charging Hamlet to carry out just revenge?
Conjuring a vision of the 19th century, director James Symons and his production team explore Hamlet’s hesitation as well as the unique relationship of past to present. Set designer Bruce Bergner captures this chronometric image in a composite design of a 19th century clock providing a space for introspection where we see the wheels and cogs of Hamlet’s mind at work. This stark monolithic structure with its deteriorating facade suggests the “rotten” castle of Elsinore. Lighting designer Julie Mack adds texture to the landscape, overlaying grid-like patterns and cool, saturated colors. Costume designer Patrick Holt firmly focuses on the seriousness and refinement of the century in his exquisite, romantic silhouettes. As Hamlet ruminates, the world around him machinates until time runs out.
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DRAMATURGICAL ESSAY
By L. Wilson
Who’s there?
In the opening scene of Hamlet, Shakespeare presents a world cloaked in darkness, silently awaiting the arrival of the night watchman Bernardo who questions “Who’s there?” as the clock strikes twelve. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Murder, death, betrayal and treachery lurk within the "prison-house" of Elsinore. "Time is out of joint" and Hamlet has been enlisted by his father's ghost to “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” Hamlet has every right to revenge regicide. But, he hesitates.
The question of Hamlet’s delay has been the source of thousands of books, articles and essays. The Prince’s own words suggest that his hesitation is prompted by his uncertainty about the nature of the ghost—it may be a satanic apparition leading him into evil. Seventeenth century critics, by contrast, saw him as a tragic, melancholy hero, a man immobilized by depression of mind or spirit. In the following century, commentators considered him a “well meaning, sensible, young man, full of perplexities.” Goethe comments on the weak character of Hamlet in his Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795-96) describing “A lovely, pure, noble, and most moral nature, without the strength of nerve which forms a hero, sinks beneath a burden which he cannot bear and must not cast away.” Hamlet has also been characterized as a philosophic man like those in the 19th century whose reflective mind wrestles with morality. Twentieth century theorists explore the psychology of Hamlet through the eyes of Freud and Jung examining the character's relationship to his ghost father and new uncle father figure.
As King Hamlet’s son, young Hamlet is next in the line of succession until murder upsets that order. The Prince is now “on the clock” and the demon of time bites relentlessly at his heels. Hamlet is caught between the past and future. His duty to his father cries bloody revenge while he attempts to coolly think through the situation. The machine of his mind becomes a metaphor for reason. The progress of time suggests a natural order of events, regardless of human beings, thrusting into the future with a deterministic and threatening inevitability. Hamlet chooses madness not only as a disguise, but also as a method of arresting time while he observes the actions of the court. The uncertainty he feels about his roles as son, nephew, lover, nobleman and instrument of revenge heightens his anxiety and clouds his mind.
The 19th century in particular captures the cultural anxiety of a changing world. In a time when scientific advances and the industrial revolution were rapidly changing the landscape, chroniclers express a palpable apprehension between man and machine. Writers such as H.G. Wells and Kipling set the “mechanized present against an idealized past” and comment on the anxiety that nested between them. Of particular concern was the “inner life” of a man under social pressure forced to live in a new age and the subsequent fear and doubt that plagued the mind.
Shakespeare’s opening line “Who’s there?” echoes through the centuries. Who will appear out of the fog in our 21st century Hamlet?
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CAST
Director____________________________ James M. Symons
Assistant Director/Dramaturg____________ Lisa Wilson
Scenic Designer______________________ Bruce A. Bergner
Costume Designer____________________ Patrick Holt
Lighting Designer_____________________ Julie Mack
Sound Designer______________________ Kevin Dunayer
Voice, Speech, Text Coach_____________ Ben Furey
Fight Director_______________________ Payson Burt
Setting: The castle of Elsinore, Denmark
Cast List (in order of appearance)
Francisco, a soldier_________________________________Alex Smith
Bernardo, officer___________________________________James E.L. Esely
Horatio, friend to Hamlet_____________________________Eric Pasto-Crosby
Marcellus, officer___________________________________Frank J. Mihelich
The Ghost, Hamlet’s Father___________________________Ray Kemble
Claudius, King of Denmark_____________________________Tony Molina*
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, and mother to Hamlet _________Hollis McCarthy*
Hamlet, son to the late, and nephew to the present king________Tony Marble
Polonius, lord chamberlain______________________________ Dennis R. Elkins
Laertes, son to Polonius _______________________________ Geoffery Kent
Ophelia, daughter to Polonius___________________________ Sarah Fallon
Voltimand, Danish councilor, ambassador to Norway__________Kip Pierson
Cornelius, Danish councilor, ambassador to Norway __________Chaney Tullos
Rosencrantz, courtier, former student with Hamlet____________Kevin Landis
Guildenstern, courtier, former student with Hamlet____________Ian Andersen
Reynaldo, servant to Polonius ___________________________Chaney Tullos
First Player – Player King_____________________________ Alex Robertson
Second Player – Player Queen_________________________ Nettie Mae Kraft
Third Player – “Lucianus”_____________________________ Alex Smith
Fourth Player – “Prologue”____________________________ James Beneduce
Fifth Player________________________________________ Frank J. Mihelich
Osric, courtier______________________________________Stuart O’Steen
Gravedigger #1_____________________________________Windell D. Middlebrooks
Gravedigger #2_____________________________________James Beneduce
Fortinbras, Prince of Norway __________________________James E.L. Esely
Captain___________________________________________Kip Pierson
Priest____________________________________________Alex Robertson
English Ambassador_________________________________Frank J. Mihelich
Sailor____________________________________________Chaney Tullos
Attendants___ James Beneduce James E.L. Esely, Nettie Mae Kraft, Chaney Tullos
Coffin Bearers____ James E.L. Esely, Frank J. Mihelich, Chaney Tullos, Alex Smith
*Appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association
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BIOGRAPHIES
James M. Symons: Director, Hamlet
James M. Symons’ first directing assignment with CSF was Henry IV, Part One, in 1985. He has since directed seven other Shakespeare productions for CSF, including three of the English history plays in the current series, Richard II (1998), Henry V (2000), and this season’s Richard III. Richard marks Dr. Symons’ fourteenth Shakespearean production as an actor or director, and his ninth season with CSF. His first season was 1984, when he played Marc Antony in Libby Appel's production of Antony and Cleopatra. Dr. Symons joined the faculty of CU's Theatre and Dance Department in 1984 as Department Chair and served in that capacity for fifteen years. In 1999 he was selected as a University of Colorado President's Teaching Scholar. In addition to his abiding interest in Shakespeare, he has had a life-long fascination with Russian theatre and is the author of an award-winning book about the Russian director, Vsevolod Meyerhold: Meyerhold's Theatre of the Grotesque.
Tony Marble, Guest Artist playing Hamlet
Tony Marble earned his MFA in theatre from Louisiana State University in 1999. Last season at CSF Mr. Marble appeared as Claude in the world premiere production of Shakespeare in Briefs! He recently played Nick in Over the River and Through the Woods, and Oronte in The Misanthrope for Houston’s Main Street Theatre Co; and was the Vagabond in a “Louisianified” production of George M. Cohan’s The Tavern at Baton Rouge’s Swine Palace Theatre. Past roles at Swine Palace and Louisiana State include Louis in Angels in America Part II: Perestroika and Buscher in Conquest of the South Pole. Mr. Marble has also appeared with Jason Priestley in the VH-1/Charter Films television movie PMRC and in the feature films Monster’s Ball and Lush. (3 seasons)
*Tony Molina, Guest Artist playing Claudius
Tony Molina most recently played Ed in Keith Glover’s In Walks Ed at Southern Rep of New Orleans. Other Louisiana credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, A Confederacy of Dunces, Tracers, Angels in America/ I, II, the eponymous roles in Hamlet and Othello, and Jacob Marley in John Dennis’ production of A Christmas Carol. Film credits include appearances in JFK and Woody Allen’s Alice. Mr. Molina’s play Method won critical acclaim at The Black Theatre Festival of New Orleans. Last summer at CSF, Mr. Molina played Banquo in Macbeth and Tujaques in Shakespeare in Briefs! (2 seasons)
*Appearing courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association
*Hollis McCarthy, Guest Artist playing Gertrude
Hollis McCarthy received her master of fine arts in acting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and her bachelor of fine arts in theatre from The University of Toledo. Ms. McCarthy lives in Chicago, where she has played Maria in Love’s Labours Lost (Chicago Shakespeare); Barbara in Things We Do for Love and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (The Organic); Beatrice in Much Ado and Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew (Notre Dame Shakespeare). Her regional credits include Phebe, As You Like It, First Witch, Macbeth (Portland Center Stage); in Kansas City, Chris, Dancing at Lughnasa (Missouri Rep); Helena, Midsummer Night’s Dream (Heart of America Shakespeare); Alice, You Can’t Take It With You with Don Knotts (New Theatre); and Shelby, Steel Magnolias (Great Plains Theatre). Ms. McCarthy’s extensive film/TV credits include leads in three feature films and a small role in Sam Mendes’ Road To Perdition. (1 season)
*Appearing courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association
Dennis R. Elkins, Guest Artist playing Polonius
Dennis R. Elkins, a former professor of speech and theatre at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn., is now a visiting professor of theatre here at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has directed and performed in various Shakespearean productions including The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, All’s Well That Ends Well, Love’s Labours Lost, The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other roles include Chebutykin in Three Sisters, Ernie in Rumors, Dr. Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest, Gabe in Dinner With Friends and Mr. Mister in The Cradle Will Rock. Directing credits include The Crucible, Into the Woods, She Stoops to Conquer, How I Learned to Drive, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and most recently, The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek. Mr. Elkins holds a PhD in theatre from the University of Colorado, an MA from the University of Tennessee and a BA in humanities from Milligan College (Tenn.). (7 seasons)
Sarah Fallon, Guest Artist playing Ophelia
Sarah Fallon was born and raised in Irving, Texas, and recently completed her graduate training at the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program. Recent roles at CSF include: Rosalind in As You Like It, Regan in King Lear, Queen Elizabeth in Richard III and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Some of her favorite roles include: Goneril in King Lear, Bridget in Translations, Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, Rosaline in Love’s Labours Lost, Annabelle in All the King’s Men, Madame Danglars in The Count of Monte Cristo, Candida, Medea and Saint Joan. (3 seasons)
Geoffrey Kent, Actor playing Laertes
Geoffrey Kent is an actor and professional fight director based in Denver, Colo. Roles include Romeo, Benedick, Laertes and ensemble work in Hamlet with the Denver Center Theatre Company. Fight direction includes The Lonesome West with the DCTC, Romeo and Juliet with Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet and Porgy and Bess with Opera Colorado. Mr. Kent is an instructor at the National Theatre Conservatory and one of 30 fight director/certified teachers with the Society of American Fight Directors. (1 season)
For a complete list of actor bios, please see the CSF 2003 program.
Artistic Staff:
Patrick Holt: Costume Designer, Hamlet
Patrick Holt’s past designs with CSF include Richard III and Henry V. Other credits include work with the NY Public Theater, The John Houseman Theatre (New York), The American Dance Festival (Durham, N.C.) and The Utah Shakespearean Festival. Mr. Holt designed the premiere productions of Romulus Linney's Gint and Tazewell Thompson’s Constant Star. Other works include Camino Real with Nicholas Martin, four seasons as a resident designer at Playmakers Repertory Company (Chapel Hill, N.C.), film and television work for A&E network, HBO, CBS and ABC. Currently Mr. Holt is a faculty member at The University of Arizona’s School of Theatre. (4 seasons)
Bruce A. Bergner: Scenic Designer, Hamlet
Bruce A. Bergner has designed scenery and lighting for more than 15 years. His work has been seen at regional theatres on the West Coast, in Chicago, St. Louis and the Southeast. He is both the resident scene designer for the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Department of Theatre and Dance and designer of the CSF exhibit at the CU Heritage Center. Recent notable productions include As You Like It and The Two Gentlemen of Verona at CSF in 2001, A Thousand Cranes at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, On the Town at Stages and Candida at the Clarence Brown Company. Mr. Bergner is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829. (3 seasons)
Julie Mack: Lighting Designer, Hamlet
Julie Mack was CSF’s master electrician in 1996 and 1997. She designed the last two seasons of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival (Othello, Love’s Labours Lost, Coriolanus, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice), and is a co-founder of Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre in Fairbanks, Alaska, now in its 11th season. Ms. Mack has worked for Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago’s American Theatre Company and Chicago’s Theatre on the Lake, as well as New York’s Fourth Street Theatre, Tucson’s Borderlands Theatre and the Arizona Repertory Theatre in Tucson. She is an associate professor of lighting design at Illinois State University. (3 seasons)
Kevin Dunayer: Sound Designer, Hamlet
Kevin Dunayer, who earned his BA from the University of North Carolina-Asheville and his MFA from California Institute of the Arts, has designed sound for more than 250 shows—including 50 Shakespearean productions—at theatres nationwide. He has worked as a sound engineer for the world premieres of American Vaudeville, directed by Anne Bogort, and Svengali, directed by Gregory Boyd, for President Clinton’s 50th birthday celebration with Whoopi Goldberg and Harry Belafonte, and for the (1997) Grammy Awards. Locally, Dunayer has been nominated for two Denver Critics’ Circle Awards. He is a member of I.A.T.S.E, Local 1, in New York City. (17 seasons)
Payson Burt: Fight Director, Hamlet
Payson Burt is a certified teacher/fight director through the Society of American Fight Directors. Faculty credits: Temple University (Philadelphia), University of the Arts (Philadelphia), University of Alabama, California Polytechnic Institute (Pomona) and North Carolina School of the Arts. International credits include Fight Directors Canada’s National Workshop, the Paddy Crean Workshop (Washington, D.C. and Canada) and The International Stage Combat Workshop (Tucson). As a fight director: over 100 credits including theatre, ballet, opera and TV/film. Mr. Burt has had numerous articles on acting and stage combat published and is author of Of Paces, a training manual for footwork. (4 seasons)
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Hamlet
Costume Design
Costume Design
Ophelia
Costume Design
Costume Design
Set Design