Author Archives: Shakespeare

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Spring 2024 Tour: Entry #3

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By Sam Hill

We arrived at Purdue University, a prestigious public university in West Lafayette, Indiana. We were immediately impressed by… the hotel!! The on-campus hotel is a fantastic 4-star establishment staffed predominantly by students and alumni. We excitedly ran into our rooms like kids on their first holiday. I even had a little jump on the bed- I’m 29 years old… We were even more delighted to discover that there was a bar in the hotel serving an excellent cocktail list and an impressive collection of Japanese whisky and scotch. I could feel my wallet getting lighter already, not that it was particularly heavy in the first place…

The campus here is massive and the rapidly growing student body numbers around 54,000 students. Purdue is a university primarily focused on engineering and is proud to have produced more astronauts than any other university in the U.S (possibly the world??) including Neil Armstrong. You may well ask, “what can a group of actors, teaching classes on Shakespeare, do for students who are looking to start careers in Engineering?”. Well, quite a lot. Most jobs involve presenting in some capacity: pitching your ideas to other people, selling your product, making a power point presentation and more. We teach students to present their ideas confidently, articulately and with ease. Shakespeare’s language is specific and conveys exactly what the author wants to say, by studying Shakespeare, students learn the importance of being specific and accurate in their communication with others. I would argue that if you master these skills before you enter the professional world, little will stand in your way.

Purdue has been a week of great questions. My favourites are the questions about England. These include, “have you ever ridden a double decker bus?” (yes). “Have you ever had Vimto?” (Yes). Do you prefer dogs or frogs? (sorry what?!). But my personal favourite goes to Cooper, in the Q and A after our performance for school children, Cooper asked, ‘why is Bottom so funny?’ Cooper, I would say you made my day, but I think its more accurate to say you made my whole year, thank you!

Our final performance finished, we went to the Boiler Maker Bar and relaxed with a cocktail. However, we were all exhausted after a great week of teaching and performing so retired to bed (relatively early). After a lie-in, we were fresh and wondered into down-town West Lafayette. Two audience members, Linda and Cliff, had invited us to see Artist’s Own: an independent art gallery. Linda was one of a group of local artists who ran the gallery. What an experience that turned out to be. We saw pottery, lovingly made by local artists, a mind-blowing exhibition of pieces by local high schoolers, as well as paintings and jewelry.

Cliff, Linda’s husband, had literally retired two days before. He was (and clearly at heart still is!) a scientist specialising in insects. Cliff told me about the Cicada Broods about to emerge in the U.S this year. In brief, Cicada’s are a grasshopper-like insect that spend years hibernating underground. A ‘brood’ of Cicadas will hibernate for a set number of years. One brood might hibernate for 13 years, another brood might hibernate for 17 years. Here comes the interesting part: this year Brood XIII and Brood XIX will emerge at the same time. They will dig tunnels to the surface and swarm the local area, but there is a crossover zone in parts of Indiana and Illinois, where both broods will converge and emerge at the same time. The last time a double Cicada brood emerged in the US, the year was 1803, Thomas Jefferson was president and George III sat on the throne of England.

Anyway, that is plenty from me! Cliff and Linda, thank you for your kindness, we hope to see you in London! Now on to Grace College, our final stop in Indiana.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Spring 2024 Tour: Entry #2

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By Sam Hill

This week saw the beginning of our proper work at Notre Dame: teaching and performing. Professors invite us into their class to share our experiences of performing with the students. Normally, this consists of helping the students to explore Shakespeare like an actor would: through playfulness, games and getting the text up on its feet. We LOVE the students. They are so kind, willing, attentive, and welcoming. They regularly make our days with their wit, charm, and talent.

The other half of our work here is performing. We had an excellent question from a young man at De Paul Academy in a post-show Q&A. He asked ‘how would you rate your nerves out of ten?’ We all were essentially on the same page. For the first night, we were all in the 8s and 9s but by the second night we felt quite at home. Another excellent question I had from a student was, ‘what’s the difference between English and American audiences?’ There is a world of difference! First of all, American audiences tend to get to their feet at the end of a show, whereas, normally English audiences stay sat. I could get very used to the audience on their feet every night, I can tell you.

The week has generally been so busy that there has been little time to explore or even see my fellow cast mates! I managed to do some site seeing around campus. I (typical me) left to leave my phone in one of my classes at St Mary’s College. As I don’t drive, I decided to don my running gear (which now includes a Notre Dame running top which I wear with immense pride) and jog back to St Mary’s to collect my phone. En route, I visited the Basilica (stunning), the Golden Dome (stunning) and the Grotto (also stunning). I arrived at the class in a state of energetic sweatiness and spirituality, just as the Professor said to her class ‘the thing about travelling minstrels is…’ I collected my phone and left them to it.

Saturday saw our final performance, which we loved but also, it saw all five of us working with the ‘Not So Royal Shakespeare’ group a student run theatre company based at Notre Dame. These young, passionate and dedicated students made our week. I would like to offer a special shout out to Isabel, Ryan and Hannah who drew the short straw and had to work with me (I’m really sorry if the spelling of your names isn’t correct, I should have asked on the day, but was too caught up in your wonderful monologues!).Thank you for your passion and willingness to throw yourself into the crazy exercises I set you.

We left Notre Dame feeling like we were leaving our own homes. We had got so used to the Golden Dome, the Grotto, the pretzel bites at O’Rourke’s, and indeed the wonderful Notre Dame team: Scott, Deb, Jenny and Jason. We all want to thank you for making our first residency so special- we miss you, we miss the students, we miss Notre Dame!

P.S why are pretzel bites so good??

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Spring 2024 Tour: Entry #1

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By Sam Hill

I’ll put a girdle about the earth in 40 minutes.

If only…

I had a lie in the day we flew. I got up at 6:00am. My castmates (and now, after 5 weeks of rehearsals, my friends!) got up at 5:00am. I met Natasha by the taxi and we loaded our suitcases like a game of Tetris into the boot. On arrival at the airport, we of course, had a drink. For those not familiar with British drinking culture, morning drinking is acceptable at Christmas and at airports. Why it has developed that way I cannot say.

Our flight got off to a rip-roaring start with a 3 hour delay. We had actually boarded the plane at this point, but were grounded at Heathrow. I looked despondently at the little airplane on my screen which should be inching its way across England, over Ireland, skimming the Atlantic to Canada, and then sliding, smoothly down into Chicago.

We did eventually take off and 8 hours and three films later, landed, without so much
as a bump.

OH MY. THE. COLD. Leaving Chicago airport felt like walking out into The Day After Tomorrow. The door to our taxi had frozen over, as had the door to the plane which had caused another delay getting our luggage. We did manage to pry open the taxi door and get huddled into the cab. A two hour drive took us to our hotel and then, finally, we looked at each other wearily and softly said ‘sweet friends, to bed’. Actually, we didn’t say that, but I kind of wish we had.

The following week was a rehearsal week punctuated with tax meetings, bank meetings, faculty meetings and other administrative duties. As well as getting used to the time difference which hit us surprisingly hard. Our bodies felt 6 hours ahead at all times. Most of us were waking up at about 4:00am and have to try to stay in bed until at least 7:00. We are very lucky that Lucy is also a personal trainer and have been enjoying gym sessions in the morning.

On Thursday we went to the Crooked Ewe brewery. The ‘who am I’ beer is one of the best I’ve ever tasted and we were treated to mountains of food. Our eyes shone as plates of brisket, fries, burgers, tacos, poutine and more were placed before us. The food from the American TV shows of our childhood was suddenly in front of us and we did not stand upon ceremony. Talk quickly turned to Shakespeare. The challenge being to answer the following:

1) Which is the best Shakespeare play?
2) Which is your personal favourite?
3) Which play would you not touch with a 20 ft pole.

I answered:

1) King Lear
2) Twelfth Night
3) Cymbeline

I confess I have changed my mind about five times on this.

The end of week one involved a weekend trip to Chicago. Jen, a member of Shakespeare at Notre Dame team, took us from South Bend to the Windy City and she did so with patience, grace and expert snow-driving. Our first stop was the Art Institute which left us all speechless. Anna described it perfectly as being as if the National Gallery, the Tate Modern and V&A had been rolled into one. The next day we went to a brunch place in Andersonville which had French Toast so perfect it looked like it has been taken out of a cartoon (Note to self: you can’t only talk about food on the blog). We finished our trip watching a band at Andy’s Jazz bar, sipping a Cocktail. Life back in dreary England is going to be tough after this.

Post-Script: A Warning to the Curious
I had a pickle back in Chicago. I expected it to be more than the sum of its parts. By which I mean, I expected the combination of Whisky followed immediately by Pickle Juice to create a new flavour which I had not experienced. I can only say this is dramatically not the case. It tastes exactly like a whisky followed by pickle juice. I feel obliged to inform people of this. Thank you. Over and out.

Setting the Scene: The Scenic Design of “Hamlet 50/50”

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By Jennifer Thorup Birkett

Scenic designer Marcus Stephens describes the moment in which he heard the Hamlet 50/50 pitch as an “ah-ha moment,” a long-sought-after solution to a perennial problem regarding the casting of male-presenting actors and the lack of female roles. But he also saw the project as a way to not merely keep Shakespeare alive, but to keep Shakespeare relevant and to address the current climate of union strikes and work equity in the arts.

While designing, Stephens kept two phrases in mind: utility and original practice. “Original practice” refers to the ways in which Shakespeare’s company originally utilized a theater’s resources (trap doors, canons, etc) to stage their productions. In designing the set for Hamlet 50/50, Stephens sought a negotiation between the past and the present and a celebration of the practical / the reusable. For inspiration, Stephens looked to intellectual and aesthetic movements such as the Russian revolution and Nordic minimalism (think IKEA storage solutions). The result is a set which celebrates texture, honest materials, and clean lines.

In building the set, Stephens and technical director / scenic artist Jeff Szymanowski focused on maneuverability and actor interaction, wanting to give more ownership to the players on the stage. Although initially appearing as one connected structure, doors open, and panels pull away to create separate spaces. In many ways, the set is a collection of building blocks all working together to tell a story–much like the cast itself.

It is easy to hear metaphors of the 50/50 project ringing throughout Szymanowski’s building process as he discusses the need for extra support when wooden framing, which is typically hidden, moves into a more central role. Notions of equitable practice and distribution of labor come forth as Szymanowski discusses uniting two 1x pieces of wood, rather than simply use 1 2x, as a way to lighten the load and ultimately make the structure stronger. From the design, to the construction, and eventually to the movement by the actors on the stage, this set is a beautiful example of teamwork and practicality.

Function and Freedom: The Costume Design of “Hamlet 50/50”

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“The triumph of simplicity is important,” says Hamlet 50/50 costume designer Elivia Bovenzi Blitz, and her work for this production is certainly a triumph in that regard. For this brand new, world premiere adaptation of Hamlet, Blitz collaborated with director Vanessa Morosco to create a dynamic, familiar-yet-new look to the costumes which conveys the essence of character in a bold and unique fashion. 

Getting Oriented

Blitz’s work for Hamlet 50/50 began in early 2023. Blitz had worked with director Vanessa Morosco in the past, and Morosco’s direction to her design crew for this production was to find their own inspiration for creating the world of the play. For Blitz, that was a good thing – not having a set idea in mind helped her to bring innovative ideas to the table. 

As a designer, Blitz’s typical approach is to use the costumes to show the differences in power in the world of the play, and to convey the character without them having to say a word. As the process evolved, Blitz settled on a blend of her own personal style (favoring mixed patterns for the players) with a cleaner, more Scandinavian aesthetic that was functional and utilitarian.

Blitz’s approach was to create a contemporary look, without being period-specific. The design is relatively modern, but not necessarily of the real world. It’s an elevated style using details that define characters, such as the capes that we see on Gertrude and Claudius: a look that denotes regal and ceremonial authority, but blended with more everyday styles.

Function and Freedom

In a typical Shakespeare production, certain characters have more preferential treatment, based on their importance in the story; Shakespeare doesn’t necessarily call for multiple elaborate looks and changes. In Hamlet 50/50, however, everyone has a more equitable amount.

As Blitz describes it, function and freedom became the two most important characteristics of the 50/50 ethos when applied to the costumes. Part of the conversation was making the backstage elements more equitable – for example, making sure that costumes for women don’t take longer to change than those of the men. Footwear was another important piece of the puzzle; the intent was to create more ways for actors to move around the stage by keeping actors out of footwear, like high heels, that might limit their motion. 

One element of the costume design that reflects the 50/50 ethos is the choice to put all of the characters in gender-neutral trousers, which allow for functionality and freedom of movement without fear of exposure. For Ophelia, the skirt was a careful choice, one that conveyed youth and innocence. But other characters’ costumes have skirts as a layer amongst other layers. Similarly, Claudius’s cape was originally designed to be shorter, but in the development process, it became more of an Elizabethan-inspired style which lives over one shoulder. “I didn’t want him to look like a magician!” Blitz laughs. 

The 50/50 production ethos extended into the build of the costumes as well. For Hamlet 50/50, the idea was to give the shop an opportunity to build more things and use more of their skills and talents in a better way, instead of just altering store-bought clothing. Costume builds were assigned in a different manner; Blitz’s list of dream builds seemed impossible at first, but to her surprise, the shop didn’t flinch at the ask, and actually even surpassed it. 

“As a costume designer, you have to be so multifaceted,” Blitz notes. “You have to be able to perceive actors’ individual needs, read body language, and be very intuitive and diplomatic. No one’s on the operating table – it is not life or death. We have high standards for our work, but we want to execute it as simply and easily as possible.”

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Learn more about Hamlet 50/50 at shakespeare.nd.edu. Performances run Aug. 15-27, 2023 at the University of Notre Dame – don’t miss it!