Hamlet: Text, Show & Media

My production of Hamlet is one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was my thesis show for my MFA during my sabbatical year. I edited the script, built a web site and vlog to support the process, and offered companion courses during the buildup to the show. I worked with local high schools to engage their students and we offered special matinee performances with talkbacks for students that were sold out. I worked with an all female cast, though that was not my initial intention. When I conducted auditions we had a vast number of actors to choose from, but all the best auditions came from women, so the show followed the maxim that Shakespeare always cast the best people he was allowed to by law, so we would follow that lead. I hosted an academic symposium dedicated to the project and the materials I submitted after the show became the first ever fully digital thesis to be accepted at The University of Calgary. The design team was supervised by Douglas McCullough and I worked with McCullough, Brian Smith, Jim Andrews and a professional staff of A-list crafts people that helped me stage a show that was highly effective and popular with audiences. The show sold out, its script has been used by other schools and companies in Canada, The United States and Australia and on our opening night F.R. Matthews donated one million dollars to our program, which led to the building of a theatre named in his honour.