A talented group of actors and crew took on the challenge of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, as Trinity College School presented a one-hour version of Hamlet the evenings of February 8th through 10th in the Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre. The abridged work, edited by Julie Fain Lawrence-Edsell, brought all of the drama, madness and pathos of the Bard’s work to the stage.
“This production of Hamlet was a true ensemble effort involving in total, 46 cast and crew members,” said Mr. Bill Walker, who directed the play with Ms. Heather Peters. “Their talents, contributions and dedication to the creative process made for a truly outstanding performance. They gave their time, expertise and willingness to explore a very complex work, and conveyed its meaning in a manner that had the audiences enthralled with each character.”
The story begins as Hamlet (Naomi Datti) is visited by the ghost of his father, the King of Denmark (Edisana Ukpeh), who compels Hamlet to take revenge for his father’s murder. The suspect is Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius (Kenna Beatty), who has assumed the throne and married Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude (Riley McKernan).
Hamlet conspires to feign madness to get at the truth, in the process spurning his love, Ophelia (Eleanor Harvey), whose father Polonius (Emily Hartleib) and brother Laertes (Wolfgang van Gulik) both work with Claudius to plan Hamlet’s downfall. Even Hamlet’s friends, Rosencrantz (Kyra Fingas) and Guildenstern (Maggie McLean) are convinced to turn against him. With the help of visiting actors (Kai Foster, Jack Sheppard and Madeline Craig-Szilard), Hamlet stages a play about the murder of the old King, asking his friend Horatio (Bria Chalovich) to gauge Claudius’ reaction. By the end of the play, the audience is left to wonder if Hamlet has been feigning madness, or indeed been driven mad by the burden of avenging his father’s death.
The cast was rounded out by TianTian Dong (Priest), Atticus Hodges (Grave Digger), Sophie Ahuja and Kennedy Adams (the officers, Marcellus and Bernardo), and members of the court (Landon Demrovsky, Anandita Choudhary and Sichun Zhao).
Mr. Walker and Ms. Peters were supported by assistant director Chloe Chan (who also created the play poster and program), stage manager Amelia Maggi, and assistant stage managers Sarah Egan and Hannah Bodden. Kalea Jakic handled props, while Keira Lannon oversaw costumes, and Maggie McLean and Asia Smith served as make-up artists. Mr. Victor Svenningson ’74 lent his talents as lighting designer, while Laurence Chevalier was the light operator and William Canu the sound operator. Master carpenter Mr. Dale Heffernan and painter Mr. Mark den Biesen brought the set to life. The stage crew consisted of Aliyah Shitta, Anjali Saunders, Anna Dobrinski and Risi Chen, while the front of house crew included Christian Caraballo, Camila Simoncini Del Pino, Emilie Vahramian, Fin Chappell, Gisele Caraballo Diaz, Josh Cates, Lilly Taylor, Serar Omar and Xyon Johnson.
Thank you to the audiences who supported and appreciated the efforts of cast and crew each night. A special nod to those who generously donated to the collection box in support of earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.
