Bearden theatre is just weeks away from their performance of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been around for centuries, and traditional performances have sought to match the style of Elizabethan England. However, director Ms. Katie Alley and her cast and crew have taken it upon themselves to execute this show differently in this year’s spring show.
Bearden’s production of Hamlet is set in Chicago in the 1930s, focusing on many of the mafia elements that are synonymous with that era of the city’s history. The show will also have limited seating, as all seats will be on the stage.
“We’ve done onstage seating for almost every time we do Shakespeare,” said junior Caroline Alley, who plays Ophelia. “The reason for onstage seating is for that sense of intimacy, especially modern day, a 16-year-old will be like ‘What’s Shakespeare?’ and so it’s helpful for the audience to be closer so they can understand more.”
Onstage seating is a significant factor for Shakespeare’s shows. It assures the audience the clarity of what the actors are saying because Elizabethan English is so different from contemporary English.
Bearden’s costume crew always has to take character diversity into consideration, but in this production, they also have to focus on how to mesh the time period with Shakespeare’s classic characters.
Senior Cordelia Nelson, who is in the cast and also the costume design head, said that the costume crew has to work hard on the details to make sure every costume is accurate.
“We have to make sure that every piece is period-appropriate and use little details to show things about their characters,” Nelson said.
The cast of Hamlet has more male cast members than many previous Bearden productions.
“We have to make sure to add these details, especially for the boys, because for the girls it’s easy to see the full look [with gowns and multiple accessories available],” Nelson said.
Opening night is April 24, and tickets are available at beardentheatre.com.