DIRECTOR’S NOTE

1994 witnessed the birth of alt-rock and flannel-clad grunge culture. Generation X had come of age and was just starting to graduate from college, to step into a life of adulthood and responsibility. TheHippies, the disco kids, and the brat pack had all had their turn, so now it was up to Gen X to make a difference. So what do you do when the world places destiny in your hands and forgets to give you aninstruction manual?

This fall, North Fulton Drama Club presents a mid-90’s take on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. With a cast of eleven players and minimalist staging, NFDC offers an intimate interpretation of one of the most well-known works in the canon.

CASTClaudius • Ghost of Hamlet’s Father played by Jeff Morgan

Hamlet played by Weston Manders

Polonius played by Kerrie Hanson Doty

Horatio played by Emily Anne Arvidson

Laertes • Player Luciano played by John O’Keefe

Marcellus • Rosencrantz • Priest played by Sean Anderson

Bernardo • Guidenstern played by Emma Greene

Gertrude played by Jessica De Maria

Ophelia played by Stephanie Laubscher

Francisco • Player King • Grave digger 1 played by Derek Faglier

Player Queen • Grave digger 2 played by Kate Rasnick

TABLE OF CONTENTSAbout the ShowDirector’s NoteCastLearning ActivitiesDiscussion Questions

ABOUT THE SHOWHamlet is the most popular of Shakespeare’s plays for readers and theatre audiences. Superficially, it follows the well-worn path of a “revenge tragedy.” This popular type of play centred on a heroic figure - in this case, Hamlet, prince of Denmark - and his quest for vengeance against his father’s murderer - here, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark in his dead brother’s place. Much of the play’s enduring fascination, however, lies in the uncertainties that Shakespeare chose to weave through this familiar plot. In the end, Hamlet is not only Shakespeare’s most popular work, but also his most puzzling.

Many questions about the play continue to fascinate readers and playgoers. What is this Ghost that appears to Hamlet? Is it Hamlet’s murdered father returned from the everlasting fire to demand justice upon his murderer? Is it a “goblin damned” - that is, a demon bent on claiming Hamlet’s soul by tempting him to assassinate his king? Or is the Ghost “a spirit of health,” an angelic messenger revealing to Hamlet that the young man’s mission in life is to cleanse the kingdom of Denmark of its corrupt king?

And what happens to Hamlet after the Ghost commands that the throne of Denmark be cleansed? Does Hamlet actually go mad, becoming unhinged by the accusation that his uncle murdered his father or by the ugly picture the Ghost paints of Hamlet’s lustful mother? Or does Hamlet merely pretend to be

mad, pretend so well that he makes us wonder if we can tell the difference between sanity and madness? Why is he so hostile to women, both to his mother and to the woman whom he once courted and whom he claims to have loved dearly? Why does he wait so long to confirm the guilt of the king after the Ghost has accused the king of murder? And once he is convinced that the king is a murderer, why does Hamlet not act immediately?

And what about Gertrude? Was she unfaithful to her husband during his lifetime? Was she complicit in his murder? What does she come to believe about Hamlet’s madness? And about her new husband?

Beyond such questions about the play and its characters lie deeper issues about the rightness of revenge, about how to achieve an ethical life, and about how to live in a world where tears of sorrow, loving smiles, and friendly words are all suspect because all are “actions that a man might play.” Hamlet’s world is bleak and cold because almost no one and nothing can be trusted. But his world, and Hamlet himself, continue to draw us to them, speaking to every generation of its own problems and its own yearnings. It is a play that seems particularly pertinent today - just as it has seemed particularly pertinent to any number of generations before us.

Shakespeare is thought to have written Hamlet in 1599–1601. It was published as a quarto in 1603. In 1604–05 a second quarto containing another, much fuller text superseded this first printing. The Folio version of 1623 is much closer to this second quarto than to the first, but differs from the second by hundreds of lines. There are thus three texts of the play. A major source for the plot may have been an earlier Hamlet play, mentioned in contemporary documents, but now lost. Shakespeare also may have drawn on several other contemporary works, including accounts of drinking at the Danish court and of “melancholy.”

LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR BEFORE THE SHOW

1. HAMLET: WELCOME TO THE DUMB SHOW! A PRE-VIEWING PANTOMIME ACTIVITY

This pantomime activity is designed to familiarize students with a text, activate prior knowledge, and create initial interest in a text. For this activity, small groups of students have to pantomime (that is, act out with actions but no sound) an important event from the first act of the play for their class. As they act, a narrator reads the events on a card out loud to the class. At the conclusion of the activity, all members of the class should be familiar with the major events in the first act of Hamlet In addition to familiarizing students with the plot, this activity also gives students the opportunity to practice performing in front of their classmates.

WHAT TO DO:1. Divide students into small groups.2. Give each group a Pantomime Pre-reading card. (see attached)3. Select one student in each group to be the narrator. This student will read aloud the events on the card as the rest of the students create a pantomime of the events (actions without words or sounds). Ensure that the narrator reads SLOWLY to allow the actors sufficient time to present their pantomime.4. Allow each group time to practice.5. Have each group perform their pantomime in the correct sequence.6. After all the performances, have students writedown what they saw.7. Lead a discussion about how these scenes tie together.

2. HAMLET ON THE RAMPARTS

WHAT TO DO:1. Direct students to the “Hamlet on the Ramparts” site, at http://shea.mit.edu/ramparts. Walk the students through the site using a teaching station or by giving instructions to the class at their own workstations.2. Bring students to the “Reading Room” by clicking on the appropriate link at the top of the page. Have students examine the different pieces of text available from 1.4 and 1.5 and have them select one piece of text to work on.3. Take students through the sections “Adaptations and Promptbooks”, “Art”, and “Film”. Then take them to another film clip: “Staging the Ghost” under “Tutorials and Guides”. Be sure they get an understanding of the different resources available on the site.4. Explain the concept of an “artistic choice” - a choice made by a director, designer or actor involving an element of a dramatic production not dictated by the script of the play. Have the students look through the different sites and list three different artistic choices that these productions have used.5. Now that the students have some experience examining artistic choices, have them make their own decisions as to how they think their piece of text should be performed. Ask them to go through and identify set, costume, lighting and sound choices that they think would make their piece of text most effective.6. Have the students share their choices with the class. Discuss how each piece of text contains multiple legitimate performance options.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR AFTER THE SHOW

1. Hey. Let’s talk about this adaptation. Was setting Hamlet in 1994 appropriate? What about this period in history lends itself to telling this story? What didn’t fit? Where and when would YOU set Hamlet? Why?

2. Gertrude is a puzzling character. So scholars almost treat her as “unfinished” because she doesn’t seem to take a clear stand on the state of things. Many modern adaptations have played Gertrude anywhere from being heavily medicated to totally wanton to just really good at her job. What are your thoughts? Did this Gertrude take a stand? Read the last scene of Hamlet. Do you think Gertrude knows she is drinking the poison or not? How does this change her story and Hamlet’s?

3. Hamlet and Ophelia have an incredibly complicated relationship, much of which we can only guess at from the text, however informed that text might be. How did this adaptation fill the holes in their story? Do you believe they really loved each other? Take a moment and imagine if Ophelia wrote Hamlet a note before she died. What would that note say? What would a date between the two of them look like? Consider this, and improvise a scene with a partner.

4. Laertes and Hamlet are often seen as foils, or dramatic opponents. Describe the ways these two characters are similar. How are they different? Do you think they would be friends if their situation was different? Why or why not?

5. Think about the ending of Hamlet. Yeah. Everyone is pretty much dead. Re-imagine this play if Hamlet survived his wound because Horatio was able to provide an antidote. What would happen? What kind of King would he be? How would he have struggled with the events that had just transpired?

FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED BY THE FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE FULTON COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL.

NORTH FULTON DRAMA CLUB PROUDLY PRESENTS:

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S

HAMLET