TO BE OR NOT TO BE! Hamlet takes his final breath among his dead cousins.
Photo: Angelina Nguyen
By Angelina Nguyen
Last Tuesday, Hamlet was performed after seventh period by the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival: Shakespeare on Tour in the L-Building.
The English department sponsored the event mainly to give seniors the opportunity to watch Hamlet live on stage since they’ve read the play. English teacher Nancy Kennett personally coordinated the event while Drama Teacher Anna Woods contacted the company.
“I hope it makes Shakespeare cool for kids,” expresses Ms. Kennett.
The play was free to all students but it was first come, first serve. The show itself was a little longer than an hour long and starred five actors who were constantly interchanging between different characters throughout the play. After the play ended, the actors stayed to answer any questions the audience may have had.
Hamlet is the story of a young prince named Hamlet who has been summoned to attend his father’s funeral in Denmark. He comes home to find that his mother has married his uncle and the uncle is now the king. Hamlet believes someone has murdered his father and his suspicions are confirmed when his father’s ghost visited him. The audience witnesses Hamlet and those closest to him fall apart until his father is properly avenged.
The company likes to travel and perform Shakespeare plays in many places in the Bay Area. Through their performances, they hope to give students and adults a better understanding and respect for the arts. This is the first year they have come to PHHS.
“We do a lot of library shows, senior centers, we do community centers, Shakespeare societies but mainly a lot of schools,” says actress Sydney Schwindt.
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