Between Oct. 25-27, the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts presented Shakespeare’s classic play “Hamlet.” The show was performed by professional theater troupe Actors from the London Stage. These five actors hail from several famous theaters throughout London, such as Shakespeare’s Globe, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Mary B. Martin Director Anita DeAngelis commented on the troupe’s visit.
“With Actors from the London Stage, it’s been really unique because they have been in residence with us all week long,” she said. “In total, they are visiting 22 separate classes at ETSU. We’ve had just a fabulous time with all of these activities this week.”
According to DeAngelis, having these actors visit campus is a fantastic learning opportunity, whether in the audience of one of their performances or in one of the classes the troupe participated in.
The play was a true credit to Shakespeare’s brilliance. The five actors were charged with not only delivering a multitude of lines in an engaging and entertaining fashion but also had to play a mass of characters between them. In total, over twenty characters were portrayed by the five. It may seem incredibly difficult, maybe even impossible to put on such a performance, but this troupe did beautifully through the use of various special effects and costume pieces. The crowd was fully engaged, some audience members even helping the story along when prompted by the cast.
While the play ends in a tragic series of deaths, as true to Shakespeare’s most famous stories, the audience was anything but saddened. The actors received a lengthy standing ovation from the full-house crowd as they took their final bows.
“The play was phenomenal,” ETSU student Travis Morgan said about the troupe. “It was long, but it was very interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
