Wildcats survive meteorological slings and arrows to enjoy Shakespearean theater

To be or not to be… or , for AP Lit students on October 6, it was to freeze or not to freeze. Students huddled together, a slew of unnecessary blankets, and many napping faces were all on display during a two-hour-long bus ride to Spring Green. On this chilly autumn morn, students gathered outside Door 24 to enjoy the class’s annual trip to American Players Theater. What awaited them? An unforgettable rendition of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. 

Students mused over the value the play offered, as many were able to make connections between the scenes of the play they had read and the scenes reenacted in front of them.

“For AP Literature, we were only required to read Act One of Hamlet, but I chose to read most of it,” senior Isabella Sylvia said. “Even though I read it, some of it was confusing. For example, I didn't really understand why they had a play happening inside of a play. Then I saw it happening, and it all clicked for me.”

The joy of seeing a breathtaking play wasn’t only restricted to AP Literature students. Senior Sunny Wolf also felt they had gained a new experience by tagging along with the group.

“I literally knew nothing about Hamlet,” they said. “I purposely told people not to tell me anything about it because I'm not in AP Literature, and I wanted to feel like a Shakespearean-era individual going to see it knowing nothing about it. I think it helped because I really enjoyed watching it. It felt like watching a movie but in person.”

However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows as the first act of the play began. Within the first 15 minutes of the play's commencement, it began to drizzle, quickly turning into a steady rain. 

Wolf, who is a returning American Players Theater attendee, admits this is a sacrifice made for the beauty of an outdoor theater.

“Last year, we saw Oedipus,” they said. “The biggest difference between the two wasn’t necessarily even in the play - it was in the weather. We saw it around the same exact time, and it was so much colder today. Even though it started to rain, I think it's still worth going because it was interesting to see how organized they were about it. They told everyone to just go into shelter and that they would start up again once the rain stopped.”

As the weather fittingly shifted into a cloudy scene, the play continued. As a returning attendee, Wolf was able to draw out similarities and differences between prior plays and this one.

“One noticeable difference was that they changed the way that the background was,” they said. “The wood was the same, but this time they had sliding doors, which they used in so many different ways during the play. The costumes were also insanely different. I wasn't expecting the costumes to look like how they did. They really modernized Shakespeare.”

Not only were students left amazed by American Players Theater’s modern rendition of Hamlet, but English teacher Brian Phelps also commends the acting troupe for continually reenacting plays in a pleasant yet contemporary manner.

“I've been going on and off to American Players pretty much as long as I've been teaching,” he said. “It's a great place to see a show with natural surroundings, like a New York professional-level theater right here in Wisconsin.”

Many students felt the aforementioned professionalism and passion from their seats in the audience, which is something that Wolf applies to other classes.

“I am in UWO Speech and Pre-College English, and I came mostly because I went last year and I really, really enjoyed it,” they said. “When you go and see theater, especially professionally done, you can see them putting forth all of these things that we're learning in Speech class.”

Regarding the modernization of the play, Phelps saw it as a highlight. 

“As a theater person, I just love seeing how they set the stage and the creative eye they take to it,” he said. “Another interesting part is seeing the unique ways they interpret them. For instance, one of the neat things this production of Hamlet did is they had the same actor play the gravedigger, the ghost, and the player. That introduces a whole different interpretation to how you interpret those characters.”

Sylvia agrees that the modern interpretation of the play was a positive change.

“It made me feel closer to the actors because they weren’t so different,” she said. “Also, they really interacted with us by walking down the aisles and making it seem like they were really talking to us.”

Phelps believes the ambiguity resulting from a true lack of an answer actually gives worth to the play.

“As an audience member, seeing [the actors] and these stories come alive is so magnificent and universal. They have stood the test of time, which is an aspect I always enjoy,” he said. “Finding out why the comedies are funny and why the tragedies are sad and actually having that reaction, outside of being the English teacher who dissects them with a little scalpel and tweezers, is vital. Even though we can provide those connections as teachers and we can inspire them as students, the more different perspectives we can get, the richer our thinking about it's going to be.”

Despite Shakespeare being a tale as old as time, many found value in the story he develops in his plays. While Shakespearean language can be complex, it proves to be rewarding.

“I think the whole reason we read old stuff is so that we understand our here and now,” Phelps said. “If it doesn't help us understand here or now, then it's just trivial. Seeing how other people interpret, connect, or bring life to it; that will hopefully help us see more connections. The more that happens, the better.”

By Cristi Isaula-Reyes

Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue II

October 31 2022