Last Wednesday night, masked figures speaking in gibberish and Shakespearian English graced the Little Theater stage in a 45-minute experimental play called “Dogg’s Hamlet,” written by Tom Stoppard and directed by Film Focus and Advanced Drama teacher Peter Parish.
The play was cast by a mix of juniors and seniors, with junior Benedict Conran playing the only unmasked actor. It has two parts, the first set at a construction of an award ceremony stage, and the second a condensed version of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
The ancient Greek-derived festival, “Lenaea” was held in Folsom last weekend, where the cast competed in the one act division. The experience was a challenge for the actors, as they had four weeks to put it together before performing it.
The cast was one of six schools to win silver, beating out over 50 other drama departments from around California.
“[Dogg’s Hamlet] really tackles the idea that you’re introduced to these characters that speak English, but… they don’t speak English. They use English words but they don’t mean anything that we’re used to them meaning,” Parish said. “Then once we get into the version of Hamlet that’s presented by these characters, suddenly the English that you hear makes much more sense, so it really grapples with the idea of what the understanding of what the English language is and how it communicates.”
Ensemble Production Company (EPiC) also brought one scene and four monologues to perform at the festival, where the actors were not only judged on their performance but also given constructive feedback and the opportunity to work on perfecting their pieces.
“I think what makes Lenaea special is that you’re given such a short amount of time in which to make a product and in that time you really have to bond together with your classmates in order to get through the month.” Senior Pitarly D’Haiti, who plays Horatio in Dogg’s Hamlet, said.
“Dogg’s Hamlet” is one of two Advanced Drama plays in production this grading period. The second, “Under Milkwood,” will open in March.
