Hamlet: My Vision

Imagine that you will direct Hamlet. Explain your vision and how it will be staged. Include specific details about the type of stage, tech elements, and overall concept for the show. 500 words. Due by midnight.

One of the difficulties in performing a work of Shakespeare’s is that, due to its age and language, modern audiences can have difficulty relating to it. With Hamlet in particular the barrier to entry is even higher since most of the plot revolves around the politics of a monarchy with an inactive, moody protagonist. If I were to direct a production of Hamlet, I would want to put a spin on it that eliminated as many of the walls between the source material and the audience as possible. One way I came up with to do that was to reimagine the story as being set in a modern college. Ophelia’s father Polonius would be a professor but all of the other major characters would be students. Claudius and Gertrude would be Hamlet’s close friends instead of elder family members, and instead of Hamlet’s father getting killed by Claudius, it would be Hamlet’s twin brother who committed suicide after being relentlessly bullied by Claudius. Gertrude was dating Hamlet’s twin but after his death started dating Claudius. The relationship between Claudius and Polonius would be that of a student sucking up to their teacher, who thinks the kid can do no wrong. Laertes would still be Ophelia’s brother, she and Hamlet would have had some form of past relationship, and she would still commit suicide during the events of the play. Horatio would still be Hamlet’s close friend and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would be Hamlet’s former friends who go to a nearby school. 

The kind of stage I would want to have for this is a thrust stage, as it allows the audience to see the action from three out of four sides. It also opens your options for blocking and choreography. Normally you want your actors to be facing the audience as much as possible so that they can read the actors’ faces, but if you have the audience on three sides, then the actors can face those sides without having their backs to everyone. The main locations would be Hamlet’s dorm room, the auditorium where the play is performed, Polonius’ classroom, and the outside campus. Lighting, sound, and effects could work together to create a dreary, rainy atmosphere.

With the technicals, I want to make this story feel real and grounded. If the audience can relate to this version of the play, then perhaps they will get something out of it that they wouldn’t just reading or watching the original. Because of that, the costumes should be accurate to what young adults in modern times (jeans/sweatpants/shorts/skirts, shirts/t-shirts). In particular, Hamlet should be wearing dark, less formal clothes, since in his negative mental state he probably wouldn’t care about keeping up appearances. In contrast, Claudius and Gertrude might dress up more to show off their status. Ophelia should wear floral patterns with a focus on the color blue, since her character is symbolically tied to flowers and water.