.jpg)
W&L Offers New Take On Classic
The Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies at Washington and Lee University will present the world premiere of the 90-minute adaptation of “Hamlet 50/50,” itself an adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play, from Nov. 19 to Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Johnson Theatre at Lenfest Center for the Arts. There will be a bonus performance on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton.
A question-and-answer session with adapters Vanessa Morosco and Peter Simon Hilton will follow the opening performance of the show on Nov. 19.
Tickets are required. Visit https://my.wlu.edu/lenfestcenter/ hamlet-5050 to purchase tickets. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $14 for W&L faculty and staff, and $8 for students.
“Hamlet 50/50”, adapted by Vanessa Morosco and Peter Simon Hilton, combines the timeless spirit of the original play with a restructuring of gender roles and character status to create a compelling and more gender-equitable production, said a spokesperson. The adaptation preserves the story and the great speeches while often reimagining who says the lines. What if Ophelia asks herself “To be or not to be ...”? What if Gertrude ruled instead of Claudius?
“This production continues to honor the beauty of Shakespeare’s language and does not distort the story we know,” said director Jemma Levy, “but it does create more gender balance on stage.”
Levy said she wanted to give students a chance to work with a Shakespearean production while also telling a story informed by the world they know. Because of the “forward-thinking” nature of the adaptation, Levy and designers Shawn Paul Evans, Elizabeth Wislar, Owen Collins and guest fight director Jeremy West decided to set it in the future.
Hana Chang, the production’s Hamlet, commented on the unique shifts in character dynamics that add dimension to every role. The changes “force Hamlet to be a much less solitary figure in the production,” they said. In the adaptation, Hamlet is not only vulnerable towards the audience but also within his on-stage relationships.
Despite the changes, Alaina Pastore, playing Ophelia, said the production “feels like Shakespeare - only if Shakespeare were to write for more women.” Mariah Scott, playing Gertrude, elaborated on the unique challenges of the foundationally Shakespearean show. “We have to make sure we’re bringing the words to life, not just reciting them,” she said.
Students have been working with fight director Jeremy West, an actor, teacher, fight director and founding artistic director of Silver Line Theater Exchange in Staunton to bring the action of the contemporary Hamlet adaptation to life.
The cast also has the opportunity to take “Hamlet 50/50” to the stage at the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton on Dec. 3.
