Immerse in The Story
Director's Notes
Program notes from Hamlet director, James DeVita
“Tis unmanly grief.”
In my early thoughts about directing Hamlet, my mind kept returning to this line. Often when I direct, the idea behind some particular line will begin to preoccupy my thoughts. I’ll notice it on TV, in the news, in books.
“. . . unmanly . . .”
What kind of world might Elsinore be where a young man is shamed for grieving the death of his father by being called unmanly; where revenge—death for death—is unquestioningly a man’s moral obligation; where manhood is not measured by depth of character or intelligence, but by strength.
“What a piece of work is a man.”
What if Elsinore were a world where there hovers a sort of oppressive expectation of masculinity; a prison of conformity of what’s expected of a man based on an outdated archetype of manliness; where manhood inevitably comes down to having power over others.
“What is a man if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.”
And what happens if a young man, like Hamlet, does not fit into such a world?
“Man delights not me.”
I read once that the man who wishes to preserve his fully masculine self oftentimes feels there are only two options open to him: silence or rage. Granted, most men will navigate the deep waters of their feelings without engaging in violence. Others will not.
“From this time forth, my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth.”
Hamlet does indeed try to navigate the deeper waters of his feelings, with an intellect and depth of emotion unsurpassed in dramatic literature, but he too, in the end, succumbs to the use of violence.
“Oh, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown.”
The other characters in the play also suffer a myriad of societal expectations, none more so than Ophelia. A woman who is constantly being told what to do, how to act, how to feel, where to be. She, like Gertrude, is manipulated and subjected to the glaring double standards towards women in the play. Laertes kills. Polonius spies. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern obey orders. No one is immune from the pressures of having to behave, look, act and speak a certain way. Some of the characters in the play are, perhaps, so inured to these conformities that they no longer even notice them. Others embrace the unspoken rules, working them to their advantage; some obey them begrudgingly, seeing no other options; while others suffer them bitterly, waiting for a new order. But a few, like Hamlet and Ophelia I like to think, choose to rebel against them.
Rebellion, however, has its price.
–James DeVita
Actor Nate Burger on Playing Hamlet
APT Core Company Actor Nate Burger talks about why every student should see Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Portable Prologues Podcast
Host Orange Schroeder talks to the directors and actors to bring you background information that will make you appreciate each APT performance even more! Listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify! Produced by Buzz Kemper, Audio for the Arts.
Director James DeVita joins actors Nate Burger and Alys Dickerson to discuss the 2022 production of Hamlet at American Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Enhance your experience and appreciation by listening to this lively interview before or after your theater visit.
Review: APT's Hamlet proves the Bard's greatest hit still has a lot to say to us
There is no doubt that Hamlet is a great play. And as Brenda DeVita said, this great play definitely has something to say to us. Thanks to the outstanding production, what you hear may be completely new. That is the genius of this classic, and the company that created it. - Gwendolyn Rice, Isthmus
Review: Phenomenal 'Hamlet' a wondrous production
Last seen on the Hill in 2013, Shakespeare’s longest – and most popular of 37 plays – currently showcases a magnificent cast of 19 directed by James DeVita, who coincidentally portrayed Claudius in the 2013 production. And the always amazing, cued-for-passion DeVita has kept this production well-paced (no four-hour show here!) and engaging. - Regina Belt-Daniels, Northwest Herald
Season Selects: Hamlet
Fast Facts
Playing: Hill Theatre | June 24 - October 8
Featuring: Featuring Nate Burger as Hamlet. Also featuring Kelsey Brennan, David Daniel, Alys Dickerson, Ty Fanning, Jamal James, Josh Krause, Chiké Johnson, Colleen Madden & Triney Sandoval.
Genre: Shakespeare Tragedy / Period Drama
Go If You Liked: Macbeth (2019), Romeo and Juliet (2014); King Richard III (2012).
Last at APT: 2013
Hamlet at American Players Theatre Trailer
Behind the Scenes with Sara Becker & Alys Dickerson
Learn how a professional voice and text session works with APT's Director of Voice and Text, Sara Becker, and APT actor and educator Alys Dickerson.