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Tuesday, March 14, 1972
University Daily Kansan
For One Cast, It Is a Season For Two Plays
By SCOTT EATON
After nine weeks of rehearsals dating from November 29, two plays, "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare and "Rosemantre" and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stompar, are in the final week of their openings for their openings this week at the University Theatre.
"Hamlet," written around 1800 and Rosemont, "and Goldenstein's play," written in this decade, show different characters. The same cast is used for both the plays, and for the most part the actors play the same roles in them.
The plays will run on after nating nights, with the 'Hamiel' opening tonight. The play will be held in downtown Dead" opening on Wednesday Performance will stop for spring break, but will reopen with another performance.
Jack Brooking, professor of speech and drama and director of the play, was also involved in the plays were accustomed to breaks of that sort in the play.
"The time off can be good because it allows the play to settle a bit." Brooking said.
Brooking said the rehearsals for the two plays had taken somewhat longer than usual.
"We usually rehearse six eight weeks generally," he said. "Actually it took us a total of nine weeks for both plays."
Brooking said the additional rehearsal time was needed because the same cast was used in both plays. Each actor played the same character in both plays, and they had to learn more than one man.
Brooking said he thought Hamlet related very well to the human condition and the character of man.
"We've assumed a basic kind of motif which really inimplicates us as spying, peering, peeping and eavesdropping, and we really look at the nature as a kind of character, which do with many elements of the human condition and what we feel is the character of man," she said.
"Different ways of spiring are important to the characters that they, as Shakespeare put it, out of the heart of the mysgery."
"Until they do pluck out the heart of the mystery and find the truth, they have a great deal of trust in people taking appropriate action.
"Certainly the very core of this mystery, around which all of the characters move and suffer, has to do with political assassination. The truth is that he suffers to that of eyes watching, people spying, hiding and so on."
Props are prepared for the technical rehearsals.
"We've taken the costumes and the set an important part from one of Hamlet's lines, when he likens his world to a garden gone to seed—things rank and the overripe, decadent garden.
"Hamlet" is the second Shakespeare play that Brookings has produced. He directed "Macbeth" a few years ago, looking more like "hamlet" was much more difficult to direct than "Macbeth."
"Hamlet" is one of the most difficult of Shakespeare's plays to play, but it certainly a much more highly complex tapestry than 'Macbeth'
Brooking said the play was becoming tighter in practice after a searching period in which it was necessarily loose.
"It must remain loose during the search period." Brooking suggests that the actors but remains open to ideas the actors bring. They have discussions together in trying to find what of the play must be found, and then, once you discover that, what of the play must be become aware of structure and form, and it is very important that it be tight where it needs to be.
Brooking said certain parts of the play could be pre-planned to expedite the production. Things like a set up and all are set up before the play even opens and all are run by skilled people. Lights can be preset for certain scenes and presents simply turned on when a scene happens.
Brooking started work on the script of Hamlet last spring.
"The director has to start long enough ahead of time to get the play ready." Brooking said.
Characterists are portrayed by the same actors in both play: Hamlet, played by Sir Trussell, and William Shakespeare, played by Mark Rutherford.
play (easy), brooding some
play (hard), bruising some
T Russell, Lawrence
graduate who plays the
Hamlet in both plays, said
Brooking was using the most
difficult method to work on the
song. Brooking told Shakespeare's longest plays.
To shorten the play, Brooking
had been cutting the play by
individual words rather than
using them as a whole.
of Rosenstein and Guldestern, played by
Mandy Patinkin, Chicago
Guldenstern Are Dead," the set revolves on a turntable for scene transitions.
Kansan Staff Photos by GREG SORBER
The main set for both plays is a multi-leveled wooden structure. In "Hamlet," the set is in three levels, with each level having four characters.
The ghost of old Hamer letches to his son. The eerie effects the apparition are enhanced as he rises from the stage floor.
In the green room, actors wait for their cues between scenes. The Ghost, Castulo Guajara, Sila, Argentina graduate student, plays a duet between them.
Paintinik and Kemmerling, almost constant companions during rehearsals, practice their lines of "Rosemantra and Goldenenstein Are Dead" in the green room while playing.
Director of "Hamlet," JACK Brooking, gives stage directions to Trussell. The director and actors share interpretations of
the play during a "searching period" that precedes a "lightening up" of the play.
1.
The Demark court assembles in brilliant Eikabeth costumes when a somber Hamlet mourns his father's death.