Hamlet
Artistic Statement
Hamlet takes place in Elsinore Castle, Denmark, in a period between the Medieval world and the new upcoming Renaissance Humanist world. When Hamlet attends school in Wittenberg (the first Renaissance Humanist University) he returns with new ideas and a vision of a less barbaric society. Upon his homecoming, he discovers that his uncle has murdered his father and suddenly Hamlet is thrust into a moral nightmare where the world of antiquity clashes with his new Humanistic ideals, testing his moral resolve to abandon the old world for the new.
I chose the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood artistic movement in the Victorian era as the inspiration to portray the social and moral conflicts prevalent in Hamlet. The Pre-Raphaelites painted a unique vision of Medieval society. The movement was based off Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Marriage painting, focusing on the convex mirror in the background in which you can actually see a self portrait of the artist. The Pre-Raphaelites used convex mirrors in their art as a window into an alternate medieval universe and they then painted that universe as it appeared, similar to the world Alice finds on the other side of the Looking Glass, and much like the upheaved world Hamlet encounters upon his return home. In our production, you will see Gertrude’s dress is reminiscent of the Arnolfini Wedding dress. You will experience vibrant and romantic colors and moods in our costumes, simple set pieces and lighting, and a convex mirror central to our set. Look into the mirror and experience Elsinore castle through Hamlet’s eyes. Will the world remain Medieval or will he resist and follow the Renaissance Humanistic movement? Let us know what you think after the show!
Honored by The Column with their critics choice for best Costume Designer, Emmalyn Gladney Miron and Best Supporting Actor, J King (Polonius)
“A lot of work and care was put into this show. This rivals some of the other Shakespeare productions I’ve attended by much larger and well funded theatres. Miron and her cast and crew need to be commended for keeping me thoroughly entertained from start to finish. And to think they kicked off their theatrical debut with what is considered one of the most difficult plays to mount and they did it quite competently is a sign of hopefully much greater things to come from this nascent theatre company.”
