By Abi VanNatta, Guest Writer
Newman’s theater department recently packed up its production of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” and took it to the stages of local high schools in an effort to show that Newman still has a vibrant theater program.
“The perception of the public is that there is nothing going on here theater-wise, but now we’re
going to prove to them that there is something going on,” Theater Director Mark Mannette said.
Mannette, who’s been at Newman almost 15 years, cut “Hamlet” — Shakespeare’s longest running play — down to 90 minutes. He says he’s no stranger to doing this, however; his degree is in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature and Performance, and if that wasn’t proof enough, he also has two bookshelves in his office dedicated to Shakespeare works.
The first performance of the production was staged on campus March 6-8, and the final performance drew a full house. The cast will perform the play again at Newman’s Flexible Theater tonight through Saturday.
In between the Newman runs, the cast took the show on a short tour of high schools, performing it for English and drama classes. The first off-site performance was at Mary Seat of Wisdom Academy, a small Catholic high school that operates out of a church not far from Newman.
Taking the show on the road meant the crew had to transport a large set and fit it into a variety of different spaces. Though the set was made to be able to fold and transport, Manette said, there was still the risk of wear and tear.
At the Mary Seat of Wisdom show, the cast learns that their stage will be a short, elongated cafeteria down a flight of stairs. They push lunch tables out of the way and hide the kitchen behind the stone-wall foam backdrop to set the stage.
Before the show, Mannette turns lights on and off to find the best lighting. The actor who’s portraying Hamlet, senior Corbin Molina, seems to be the first of the cast to be dressed and ready.
He paces the room as other cast members brisk by, half-dressed.
“I’ve seen some ‘Hamlet’ before, so let’s see how you measure up,” a bystander says to him.
“To Hamlet or not to Hamlet,” Molina says, a reference to Hamlet’s most famous quote, “To be
or not to be.”
A small group of about 23 high schoolers and teachers fill the lunch tables. Mannette introduces
the play with a thank you to the students for being their “first tour audience.”
The cast’s semester-long rehearsals become obvious as Shakespeare’s tongue-twisting language flows smoothly. Still, the set proves to be the biggest challenge when one of the curtains attached to the backdrop falls down near the end of the performance. The actors continue, unswayed by the hiccup.
After spring break, the cast also performed for Northwest High School, Bishop Carroll High School and Eisenhower High School. The cast has one more off-site show coming up at Eisenhower High School on April 7.
This gives high schoolers who are reading Hamlet in class a chance to see it performed on a collegiate level in their own school, said Tony Rosales, the drama teacher at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School.
“Having the chance for my acting classes to be able to see a play on our stage performed by
other actors will be a great experience for them,” he said.
Those who want to see “Hamlet” at Newman have a couple more chances.
The show will be staged tonight, Friday and Saturday in the Jabara Flexible Theater in DeMattias. Newman students get free entry with their student IDs. Tickets are $10 for the general public or $5 for other students (college or younger).
PHOTO: Courtesy, Newman Theater
