Hamlette

March 8th is International Women’s Day – and what better time to highlight some amazing women within the Theatrefolk community. Join us in celebrating these phenomenal playwrights and authors and their incredible contributions to the world of student theatre. Plus, keep reading to see our Top 10 Plays for Female Casts at the end of the post! Rachel Atkins • Baalzebub (and One Act Version)

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Hamlette by Allison Williams is a fantastic competition piece for student performers that takes Shakespeare and turns it on its ear. Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! This play is a twisty-turny interpretation of the classic Danish tale. Why spend four hours telling the story when five actors can get the job done in thirty minutes? Elsinore has never been this funny! Why did we publish this play? We first published Hamlette in 2001 and we’ve been a fan of Allison’s work ever since. She knows how to twist Shakespeare into a pretzel and make you look at the text in a new light. For example, what if Hamlet was played by a girl? Turns out it fares quite well and not only that, Hamlette takes 30 minutes to tell the story instead of four hours. Love it! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I first wrote Hamlette for a cast of apprentice performers at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival. I needed something short, that an audience would find funny enough to sit and watch for 30 minutes in the hot sun. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. What Hamlette is about, in a lot of ways, is insisting on one’s own identity. Not just in terms of gender, but the idea that young people are at a time to “try on” different identities and explore who they really are. Often, parents dismiss this as “going through a phase” (as Gertrude does to Hamlette!) but I think it’s valuable to experience different ways of relating to one’s peers, different interests and hobbies, and it builds empathy for others, even the groups we end up not staying part of. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? I just love the Laertes/Ophelia switch, and what a fun moment that is for the actor to whip around and do a completely different characterization. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Talk slower and pick up your cues faster. This feels like a contradiction, but comedy is all about timing, and it’s important for actors to react quickly, but speak distinctly and while being in their moment. With comedy, if you miss a cue, it looks like someone forgot, where in drama you can pass it off as a moment of deep thought. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Because it’s a small cast and a short play, it’s easy to rehearse in a class period. Plus, Hamlette’s concerns are so identifiable: I’m not happy about my parent remarrying, I’m sad someone died, I think my significant other is insincere, I’m worried my best friend is going to betray me, I keep getting advice from adults who don’t know me very well. Totally the student experience.

“Hamlette! Mark me! Why art thou wearing so much eyeliner?” Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! Hamlette by Allison Williams is a twisty-turny interpretation of the classic Danish tale that is great for competitions. Why spend four hours telling the story when five actors can get the job done in thirty minutes? Under the direction of Valerie Marsh , the incredibly accomplished student performers at Bridgewater-Emery High School in Emery, SD were not only able to get the job done but achieved “superior” results along the way: “We had a lot of fun rehearsing and performing Williams’ play. We advanced to the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s State One-Act Play Festival, earning a “Superior Play” award. Three of the cast members also earned “Superior Performer” awards. Thanks for a well-written, hilarious script!”

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For….Student Directors. Do you have a student directing class? Do you have students who show a knack for taking charge and establishing vision? Then you need plays that are perfect for student directors to tackle. Think short, think active, think character driven. Think plays that can be accomplished from audition to performance within your class periods. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. Hand this list over to your student directors and see what they think. All the best with your search! Ten/Two Ten plays for two actors. The plays can be performed individually or all together for a full evening of theatre. Excellent for the classroom or competition. This collection is ideal for student directors because they’re contained. Two actors, a complete story from beginning to end with specific characters. Hamlette Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! This play is a twisty-turny interpretation of the classic Danish tale. If you have a student director who wants to spread their comedic wings, try this piece. It requires a lot of physical action, so it’s more work than it seems on the page, but your students are up to the challenge, right? Hairball A light vignette play about our obsession with hair. I’d highly recommend this for starting directors. Because it’s short scenes based on a theme, it gives a student director something short to find success. You can divide the play up among a number of directors if you have a large class. Or take one scene and see how your directors tackle it. What are the similarities? What are the difference? Smarty Pants Dallas is a real smarty pants and can’t wait to show off. But he’s in for a shock. His new class is very different. This piece gives students directors a chance to explore both character and physical action. Rainbows vs Bunnies: Annihilation A talking bunny. A talking rainbow. Plus annihilation. This piece would be a lot of fun to direct, The challenge here is taking charge of a couple of large groups and staging. If you have students who need to improve their leadership skills as a director, this is the piece to do it. Will and Whimsy Shakespeare’s Sonnets come alive in this play where modern scenes play hand in hand with the original text. With this piece you have the combination of modern scenes and Shakespeare. If you have a student who wants to tackle the bard, give them this play first. Skid Marks: A play about Driving Your first car. Getting your license, Getting pulled over. The relationship between teen and car makes a great backdrop for this vignette play. Vignette plays are always a great place to start with student directors. Ten Minute Play Series (All Girls, Girls & Guys, Be Challenged) These plays offer everything from broad flat-out comedy to quiet, intimate drama. All the pieces have small casts, have modest set requirements and well defined characters. Your student directors will find something they love in one of these collections. EllenAliceMonaJune (in Malled) Ellen, Alice, Mona, and June share those uncomfortable truths that only close friends can tell each other. A lovely four actor piece that dives deep into character. If you have student directors who need to work on bringing out a three dimensional character in their actors, this is the piece. Anxiety is Orange Join the characters in this vignette play as they navigate the world, each other, and the greens, greys, blues, reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges around them. Give this play to one director or divide the scenes up among group of directors.

Drama teachers: now is your chance to “shake up Shakespeare” with a modern day twisty-turny interpretation of the classic Danish tale. Allison Williams’ Hamlette is a hilarious one-act comedic adaptation that is perfect for both high school and middle school students to help them understand and enjoy Shakespeare in a whole new way. The Keegan Theatre in Washington DC performed this play as part of their new Theatre for Young Audiences program, Keegan PLAY-RAH-KA. Under the direction of Ricky Drummond , these talented performers appealed to Shakespeare fans – and theatre fans – of all ages. “We just closed Hamlette after a very successful run! I wanted to express my thanks to you for being so wonderful about communicating, and for writing such a playful and fun script! The audiences all enjoyed it, and there were so many comments on how much they loved it. Some points that stood out were how well your text and Shakespeare’s text were interwoven, how much people related to Hamlette, and (perhaps my favorite) kids who didn’t know if some of the written goofs were on purpose. SO many kids thought that pulling off the ghost costume was an accident! – Ricky Drummond” Way to go, Keegan Theatre!

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Classical Adaptations! Who’s looking for a little arts integration? How about some cross-curriculum? Or how about a great story turned into a great play. It’s time for ten classical adaptations. Adaptations are my favourite type of play to write. It’s an intriguing challenge to take a story in one form and determine what will make it a theatrical experience. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! Shuddersome: Tales of Poe Original: Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe Not only our most popular adaptations, but one of our most popular plays! Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical vision of Edgar Allan Poe’s best works including: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Hamlette/Mmmbeth Original: Hamlet & Macbeth by William Shakespeare The first of many of Shakespeare adaptations. We’ve paired Hamlette and Mmmbeth together because they make for a hilarious evening of theatre. Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! Great for competitions. AND in Mmmbeth everything goes wrong. The witches take over the storytelling, Queen Duncan would rather open a donut franchise than die, Lady M’s a bloodthirsty June Cleaver, and the murderers are preoccupied with creating a commercial for their services. Introduce your students to the world of the Bard with these parodies. Will and Whimsy Original: Sonnets by William Shakespeare Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not read. This vignette play does that by bring his sonnets to life. Modern scenes play hand in hand with the original text. Mix and match the sonnets to your whimsy! Lord of the Pies Original: Lord of the Flies by William Golding In this parody piece a pie shop erupts into panic after Franny, a brash cat-lady, announces the arrival of the apocalypse. SHe starts to reconstruct society and takes out anyone who stands in her way with baby food and scotch tape. Drum Taps Original: Drum Taps by Walt Whitman The poems in Drum Taps represent Walt Whitman’s first hand account of the Civil War. See the words, the emotion, the blood come to life in this theatrical adaptation. This is not your typical poetry reading. This is war. Alice/Through The Looking Glass Original: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll These two make excellent theatrical companion pieces. Both are one-act adaptations of the famous novels by Lewis Carroll. They follow Alice’s adventures down the rabbit hole and across the life-sized chess game. Fantastical physical journeys! The Canterbury Tales Original: *The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer* Chaucer’s classic collection of tales comes to life! A group of travelers set out for Canterbury on a pilgrimage. Each and every performer gets a chance to shine in this spirited, charming script. Text uses modern English. Pandora’s Fire Original: Pandora’s Box, Ancient Greek Myth Everybody knows the story of Pandora. Her curiosity got the better of her and she is to blame for releasing all the ills into the world. But is that the whole story? Pandora’s Fire is a wonderful mix of Ancient Greek choral storytelling with a modern twist. Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark Original: Hamlet by William Shakespeare Denmark is plagued with zombies led by Hamlet’s uncle/step-father, the current king. Will Hamet become a zombie himself? A gruesomely comic adaptation of the Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, this version blends original text with new, zombified dialogue – written in iambic pentameter! The Tragicomedy of Julia Caesar Original: Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Sarah and Dave think it would be fun to direct a play for drama club. And they both love Julius Caesar. What could go wrong? Oh, a post-death dance number, Brutus is allergic to peanut butter, Rome is now Georgia, and giant killer robots. That’s all….

Some drama teachers have their whole production year figured out before the first day of school. If you’re doing a big musical, you need to get that paperwork started way in advance. Or maybe you need to coordinate using the theatre space with other departments – you need to know what you’re doing and when. Or, if you’re lucky, you have an engaged drama club and they’re reading the plays and deciding what they want to do ahead of time. But sometimes all that planning goes out the window. You choose a play, hold auditions and the actors you think you’re going to have don’t show up. Or you choose a small cast play and are faced with a flood of wonderful auditions. And sometimes, just the act of choosing a play is the issue. It can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. Auditions loom and you still haven’t chosen a script. If you’ve stared at a stack of play catalogues with panic in your eyes, we here at Theatrefolk are ready to come to the rescue! Ok. We’re not a superhero. But we can give you some guidance to what we have available and how you can swiftly navigate our catalogue. If you’re frustrated with your search, or if you have to make a last minute decision NOW, have a look at the following plays. With each play there’s a link to the website page where you can read free sample pages. Enjoy! Top SellersWant something popular? Try these! Hoodie by Lindsay Price Hands down, our most popular one act. Hoodie is a middle school play about self image and appearance. Great for classes, and the kind of play that lets you cast every kid who auditions.

I was one of those math and science kids. But I also loved drama. I started university as a computer science student but left with a degree in theatre. I enjoyed studying calculus, chemistry, physics, etc. But when I think of the atom, when I think of all the lectures I sat through, the drawings, the protons, the neutrons, the electrons, the periodic table and so on, the clearest picture in my mind is still Venus Flytrap’s explanation on the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati. WKRP in Cincinnati, for the uninitiated, was my favourite sitcom. On this particular episode, one of the DJ’s (Venus Flytrap) befriended a cleaning woman at the station. Her son was getting involved with gangs and she asked Venus for help to straighten her son out. Here’s the resulting scene:

Episode 124: Using Theatre in ChinaNick Cala is a high school teacher in China. He’s putting up a play for the first time with Chinese students who are studying to attend American universities and fully believes in the importance of drama as part of their process.

Episode 104: Why Shakespeare Today – Postcards From ShakespeareTheatrefolk Playwright Allison Williams talks about her attraction to Shakespeare adaptations, why students should study the bard today, her best tips for acting and directing Shakespeare and her newest play Postcards From Shakespeare.

Episode 87: Character Interpretation – The Student’s Point of ViewLindsay talks with two sets of students who prepared the same characters, in the same show, but in two different productions. How did they prepare? How did seeing their character played by another actor affect their work?

Episode 15: Allison Williams InterviewTheatrefolk playwright Allison Williams recently participated in a nearly year-long writing competition and won! She gives us all the gory details.