Upcoming Production of Shakespeare's Hamlet

PRESS RELEASE

Upcoming Production of Shakespeare's Hamlet

27-June-2011, Wellington

O heart, lose not thy nature.

Hamlet, Shakespeare’s most performed play worldwide, is to be staged in Wellington for the first time in five years. Melanie Camp will direct the play as part of her Master of Theatre Arts degree at Toi Whakaari and Victoria University. Performed in the Basement Theatre at Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre, the show will run from 22nd of July to the 6th of August (no shows on Sundays).

Melanie Camp’s production features a cast of only eleven actors, including prominent Wellington actors Anya Tate-Manning, Lauren Gibson, Hayden Frost and introducing David Young in the title role, in his first Wellington production. They will perform in an intimate setting to an audience of no more than fifty.

“I wanted to bring it up close to the audience, to bring out the relationships, the vulnerability of these flawed characters. This way, it’s really in your face, and you can’t help but be part of it," says Camp.

“Many people think Hamlet is a whiny twerp who can’t get up the guts to revenge his father’s murder. Hamlet is not a revenge play, it’s a thriller set inside a revenge play. It is a play of action, of questioning, and fighting for what you believe in."

“My goal with this production is to ask questions. What is it to really be true to yourself? Hamlet chooses a difficult, lonely path. Why doesn’t he just kill his uncle, become King, marry Ophelia, have lots of little Hamlet babies and live happily ever after? Would you do the same?”

The production will place a strong emphasis on the use of sound and light. New Zealand composer Luke Di Somma is writing an original score for the play. Camp and Di Somma have collaborated on a number of projects in the past, and are working closely to make the music integral to the storytelling. An unusual method of lighting is being experimented with in rehearsals, with the actors able to use different light sources to explore the meaning of the scenes. “It makes for some very exciting looking scenes, and it also helps the audience to understand what’s really going on underneath the language”, says Camp.

Melanie Camp has been involved in directing theatre in Christchurch for ten years, including plays such as The Dresser, The Importance of Being Earnest, Richard III, the musical Hair and numerous new works by Christchurch playwrights. Already in 2011 she has directed a rehearsed showing of the new New Zealand musical The Way Life Should Be, composed by Luke Di Somma, at the Court Theatre in Christchurch, and an excerpt from David Mamet's Boston Marriage at Toi Whakaari, as part of her degree.

The Master of Theatre Arts in Directing is taught jointly by Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School and the Theatre Programme of Victoria University of Wellington. Through a combination of practical and theoretical studies during this two-year postgraduate programme, MTA students develop the necessary skills to direct and initiate projects in the professional theatre and related areas.

The current presentation is one of a series of practical directing assignments that constitute a substantial component of the second year of study. The director is responsible for all elements of the production, and has an opportunity to explore a particular style of theatre. The project is therefore a showcase for the kind of creative contribution the director will in the future offer the New Zealand professional theatre and related industries.

Hamlet is a Master of Theatre Arts in Directing production and runs from the 22nd of July to the 6th of August, with no shows on Sundays. The play starts at 7:30pm, in the Basement Theatre, Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown, Wellington. Bookings can be made online at www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Ticket prices are $20, and $10 student standbys are available from 30 minutes before show time. If you require assistance with your booking, please email info@tewhaea.org.nz or phone our office on 04-381-9250.

ENDS

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