Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 24, 1993 TAG: 9302240099
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ACCESSIBILITY IS THE GOAL IN `HAMLET'
Director Jere Lee Hodgin said his main goal in Mill Mountain Theatre's production of "Hamlet" is to "make the play accessible and immediately meaningful to students of all ages.""Hamlet," which opens on the main stage Friday, is a good educational vehicle because it is one of Shakespeare's best-known plays.
Mill Mountain Theatre has scheduled special performances for high school students and prepared an extensive study guide to help teachers prepare students for the live theater experience.
Hodgin said he believes the play's universal appeal to both young and old stems from the theme of an individual's struggle against societal pressures.
The play has a particular impact on the younger generation, Hodgin said, because it speaks to that age when "we come at odds with societal beliefs."
Hamlet is at odds with everybody because of his father's untimely death, followed by his mother's hasty remarriage to his uncle.
Set at Castle Elsinore in Denmark, "Hamlet" opens with Prince Hamlet (played by Curt Hostetter) still at school in Germany when his father, King Hamlet, dies. The grief-stricken prince returns home to find his mother, Queen Gertrude (Martha Perontonia), has married his father's brother, Claudius, within a month of burying the king. Claudius (Craig Dudley) is now the new king of Denmark.
Hamlet is visited by his father's ghost, who says he was murdered by Claudius. The ghost (Will Buchanan) begs Hamlet to avenge his death. Hamlet promises his father's spirit that he will seek revenge. He then decides the safest way to plot Claudius' death without arousing suspicion is to feign madness.
"Too much is made of this play as a revenge tragedy," Hodgin said. "I see it as a journey by Hamlet - one man's spiritual struggle against a society that accepts his father's mysterious death and untimely replacement with his uncle.
"The play is about so much more than revenge. It's about self-discovery, an individual questioning himself," Hodgin said. "When you lift that rock, you never know what is underneath. But the greatest growth comes from that first step, lifting that rock.
"It's about a man's struggle against loneliness and isolation when he feels he's right and everyone around him thinks he's wrong," Hodgin said.
The set, designed by Robert Croghan, an associate professor in the department of creative arts at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is framed by towering scenic elements to convey a society dominating the individual, Hodgin said.
Real-life examples along this theme can be seen in big-city architecture, such as the huge government buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C., in front of which an individual feels small and humble, Hodgin said.
"The permission that government gives to itself to do what it will for what it considers the common good is part of what Hamlet rants about," Hodgin said.
Lighting is stark and dramatic with lots of shadows and highlights to convey Hamlet's isolation and alienation.
In costuming, blacks, whites and grays convey indecisiveness, the lack of a clear and simple solution to Hamlet's inner dilemma. The production is set in a non-specific modern period and is spoken in modern English.
Hodgin also has chosen to work with an ensemble cast of 19. An ensemble production gives equal emphasis to the main players, rather than focusing on a starring role.
Hodgin said the ensemble approach intensifies the interaction between Hamlet and his adversaries.
"I think it's a more viable play when these adversaries are worthy of Hamlet's intellect and emotions," Hodgin said.
For example, Hodgin said, "Polonius [the king's adviser, played by Jack Beasley] is not just a laughable dope. If he were, he would never have risen to his position of power. Claudius is every bit as resourceful and strong as Hamlet. He has a rich character. And Rosencrantz and Guildenstern [Hamlet's schoolmates, who later betray him] - if you play them laughable, you miss the point."
Other ensemble cast members include David Bridgewater as Laertes, Cassandra Johnson as Ophelia, Anthony Lawton as Horatio, John Wayne Shaffer as Rosencrantz, W. Joseph Quam as Guildenstern, Brian Robinson, Vincent Barrett, Bruce Edward Barton, Al Choy, David Ducey and Juliet David.
In addition, three Roanoke-area high school students, Debra Kurshan, Casey Seawell and Caroline Burrow, were selected from the theater's Youth Ensemble, a program started six years ago as a preprofessional training program for teens.
"HAMLET" opens Friday at Mill Mountain Theatre, Center in the Square, downtown Roanoke. Preview performance is Thursday, 7:30 p.m. For reservations, call the box office at 342-5740.