The Hotchkiss Dramatic Association (HDA) presented this year’s spring production, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, from May 10-12.
The play features Danish prince Hamlet (Chris Mitchell ’24), who is determined to get revenge against his uncle, Claudius (Jack McCarthy ’26), for the murder of his father (Souleman Toure ’19). His actions eventually lead to the death of his love interest, Ophelia (Chiwo Mupita ’27); her father, Polonius (Nick Baratta ’24); her brother, Laertes (Steven Hicks ’26); as well as Hamlet’s own mother, Gertrude (Carla Oudin ’26) and, finally, Claudius.
Hamlet was directed by Mr. Parker Reed, head of theatrical performance. He said, “I wanted people to take away from the production that although the story is 423 years old, it can still feel real; it can make us feel things.”
Mr. Reed precast Mitchell as Hamlet during the summer of 2023 to give Mitchell time to prepare for the challenging role. Mitchell said, “Mr. Reed saw that I appreciated Shakespeare and that I was capable of craziness. Three months for the entire production was definitely a time crunch for him. I don’t know if it would’ve been possible had I not been precast.”
Mr. Reed was also responsible for the production’s sound design. He said “I tried to pick sounds that were suggestive without being insistent. While music is important, I didn’t want it overpowering the music of the actors.”
Hamlet was Mitchell’s and Nick Baratta’s ’24 last production with HDA. Baratta said, “I’ve never actually collaborated with Mr. Reed on a mainstage play, and I needed to. I think Mr Reed knew that and saw me as Polonius.”
Mr. Reed said, “When casting, I was looking for actors who don’t settle for mediocrity and who feel moved by the story and inspired to tell that story to move people.”
Reflecting on his HDA experience, Mitchell said, “I think HDA does such a good job with the selections and the casting and put on amazing shows that are very open to people who want to be involved.” Baratta said, “I knew that I had an appreciation for performance, but never really embraced it until coming here my Lower Mid year and taking theatre.”
The minimal stage design by Director of Theatre Mr. Derek Brashears featured a hydraulic mechanism that raised to create a bench and lowered to become the grave for the infamous gravedigger scene. Mr. Brashears said, “It’s one of those shows that is kind of a playground for a designer. It requires very little, it’s not specific, and all it needs is a grave. The idea in my head was to try and figure out something that showed intimacy through scale.”
Mr. Brashears designed the ghost mask—a 15-foot high replica of Claudius’ face—that loomed over the set. Tech Director Sierra Atkins ’24 led HDA tech students in constructing the enormous piece. Students learned to weld to make its skeleton and applied foam to create the features. Atkins said, “The biggest challenge was making sure the piece was structurally stable. Since it was built by hand, there was no way to know exactly where each piece was going to go before we made it.” The mask is currently on exhibit outside Walker Auditorium as part of the Senior Art Show
