Hamlet 16.30 (Aaron)
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET
Adapted by Ben Murray-Watson
PRODUCER / WRITER’S NOTE
This year marks our seventh straight year performing at Brighton Open Air Theatre and the third year that we’ve attempted two productions on the same day.
Once again, on just one week’s rehearsal, Sam and Aaron will be placing their own creative take on our one hour script. I think Aaron’s aim is to take my scripts as far away from anything that was written as possible! But then, that in itself is very Shakespearean! Shakespeare didn’t write stage directions for a reason!
Hamlet is a hard play! There is quite a bit of political context around the original that doesn’t translate to the staging of a one-hour youth production. Therefore, a lot of that has been removed. Similarly, Shakespeare’s treatment of women is very much of its time and doesn’t fit with today’s thinking. Plus, the overall feel of the original tends to be very dark, with a lot of murders and a lot of moaning!
Therefore, I tried to create something a little lighter.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have fascinated writers throughout the years and so it felt natural to bring them in as the ‘narrator’ figures. My hope is that they provide a bit of light relief and clarity around the craziness!
But overall, these Shakespeare weeks are about fun and escapism for the young actors. They are a chance to play with a language that is at the heart of our theatrical history and to address Shakespeare’s writing in a way that it was meant – through performance.
I was lucky enough to have an English teacher who taught us Shakespeare by getting us out of our seats and ‘acting’. I have fallen in love with it ever since. The vision for these yearly weeks is to enable other young children and teenagers to equally embrace that love and to be inspired by the language and the theatricality that Shakespeare demands.
I am hugely grateful and delighted that we can bring together two amazing casts of young actors once more.
If you’d like to learn more about YAG or try out one of our term time weekly classes, then do take a look at our website. Enjoy the show!
Ben Murray-Watson, Founder, The Young Actors Group
THE HAMLET CAST
HAMLET Stan Toyne
BERNARDO Honey Overton-Lemmon
FRANCISCO Rosa Overton-Lemmon
HORATIO Cass Sanches
MARCELLUS Amelie Deaville
CLAUDIUS Helena Bullen
GERTRUDE Daisy Stephens
POLONIUS Sebbie Hitchcock
HAMLET’S FATHER Felix Small
OTHER GHOSTS Honey Overton-Lemmon, Felix Small, Amelie Deaville
OPHELIA Freya Jones
LAERTES Alex Hitchcock
ROSENCRANTZ (ROSIE) Lucy Murray-Watson
GUILDENSTERN (GUILDY) Jake Murray-Watson
1st PLAYER Amelie Deaville
2nd PLAYER Honey Overton-Lemmon
OTHER PLAYERS Rosa Overton-Lemmon, Felix Small
A MESSENGER Rosa Overton-Lemmon
THE HAMLET CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Aaron Tonks
Assistant Director – Maya Cooper
Producer / Writer – Ben Murray-Watson
Movement Director – Shani Kantor
Set Design and Build – Daniel Staniforth
Design Assistant – Hazel Staniforth
Costume Designer – Maya Cooper
Costume Hire – Gladrags Community Costume
Special Thanks
Father Felix Mascarenhas and Church of the Good Shepherd
Sarah Bullen, Helena Bullen and Daisy Griffin
Brighton Open Air Theatre
Every parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister and friend who are supporting their young actors today and throughout their lives.