Cassie Post

ORIGIN

A Shakespeare company, Changeling was founded in 2000 by Bob DeWeese, an elementary school teacher who based his entire school curriculum on Shakespeare, and was my mentor. After leaving Bob's program for junior high school, I took on additional responsibilities teaching and as an Assistant Director in Changeling Productions for 10 years.
 

In 2011, Bob announced his retirement from teaching. By then, a majority of the original Changeling company was spread across the U.S. One of the company members, Kendal Peiguss Austin, and I decided to deliver a final production of HAMLET (Bob's favorite play) to honor his dedication to teaching and sharing his love of Shakespeare. We rallied our old cast mates for the ultimate production to be held in Western Washington State. Because the cast was scattered across the nation, we had a shortened rehearsal period. To their credit, all cast members arrived memorized and, prior to rehearsal, we blocked the entire play within two days. The remainder of our time was given to rehearsal and tech, and a full production was created in 17 days!

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FUNDING

In a brief period of time, Changeling raised $2,000 to fund the production, through private
donations from the community and eventbrite.com. Changeling offered affordable tickets at
$10 per adult and $5 per child. Ticket sales totaled $1,800, which was donated to our alma
mater, the North Kitsap Options Program.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hamlet-by-the-changeling-shakespeare-company-tickets-
1056352579#

 

CONCEPT

The concept of this production was, at its heart, about Bob DeWeese - a celebration and culmination of his work.

Specific concepts used:
- Hamlet played by a female actor (no pronouns changed in the text). Additional gender-
bending casting throughout the show (as with all Changeling productions).

- Role Doubling: Francisco/Guildenstern/Priest, Bernardo/Rosencrantz, Marcellus/Player King,
Ghost/Lucianis, Polonius/Clown #2, GD#1/Osric, Ghost/Fortinbras.
- As the audience entered, the character Hamlet was pre-set onstage, alone at the end of his
father's funeral.
- Hamlet is present and re-enacts his encounter with Ophelia in her II.i monologue.
- Hamlet physically attacks Rosencrantz in III.ii
- Gertrude attempted to deal with revelations with substance abuse (alcohol).
- Dark/Black vs. White Costumes informed the audience of Norway's bloody conquest of
Denmark.
- Changeling's casting has been , and will always be, open to all ethnicities, gender identities
and ages.

 

TIME/PLACE

Set in "Shakespeareland", the TIME is mixed between Shakespeare's Elizabethan Era, early Jacobean, and present day. Dialogue is spoken with a modern accent, but heightened naturally by the text. 

The PLACE is Denmark, but no flags or representation are given to Denmark or Norway. It is only distinguished by costuming (dark vs. white). Set pieces are sparse, so that the stage appears more as a dream - a burn barrel, a wall, table here, a chair there.

 

SET

Port Gable Theater is a proscenium stage with stairs down the center and a large rectangular room. In addition to the proscenium, the room was split down the center and added a "runway". The runway itself was a cross, meant to symbolize the religious themes throughout the play. In the middle of the stage was a grave, a 7' x 3' rectangle door cut into the stage (which could be opened/removed), which served as Ophelia's grave. The space was large enough for Hamlet and Laertes to fight, and for Ophelia to be lowered down (and exit in the blackout at the end of the scene, unseen). During the Q&A at the end of the production, some children thought that Ophelia had stayed buried under the stage during the whole show!

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Set Designers: David LeMay, Cameron Groh

 

COSTUMES

In Hamlet, Denmark is on the brink of war.  The men's military uniforms inform the audience that this is a militaristic nation. Norway is represented in white, splattered with blood. Members of the Court appear in formal wear, suits or dresses (from any time period, so long as it does not evoke a period). Splashes of color on a primarily dark landscape (shades of black, grey, green, blue) inform the audience to character. Ophelia is dressed in color prior to making her transition to white (her dead father's blood-stained shirt), and then to funeral black. Gertrude's character 'arc' can be noted through her costume colors of green to white to red. The Players (in performance) were based on a Cirque du Soleil style, adding a splash of color to the landscape at their arrival. Osric is the only character in (what one could consider) "Elizabethan" attire. He is a representation of the high court, showy, fashionable and excessively formal. We put him in Elizabethan attire to emphasis to the audience his overzealousness ahow far Hamlet has grown from the court. 

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Make-up/Hair Design: Elyse Sollitto

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LIGHTING 

Denmark is a cold northern place, so the play is set in a dim light. The Watch scenes are set in dim blues, and the Ghost lighting uses strong blues, whites and RED. The court is 'too bright'. Spotlights of color inform plot changes or twists (i.e. red for the discovery of Polonius's dead body, blue for Gertrude's monolgue in IV.vii, red for Hamlet's attempt to murder Claudius in the chapel). 

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Lighting Designers: Paul Bryan, Cameron Groh

 

BLOCKING

The majority of Changeling's blocking is 'organic'. General structure is given for blocking, allowing for the actors to move organically from point to point. Certain motifs or tableaus are created throughout the production.

 

Music: Bob DeWeese

Fight Choreography and Direction: Cassie Post

Props Master: Alex Quarrell