Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of his most recognizable works with the play commonly being studied and performed by many students and professionals worldwide. As many of Shakespeare’s works and plays, Hamlet is a tragedy where the main character is torn between what is true and what is right, and the story ends in a bloodbath of betrayal.

The basis of the story is that Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, played by senior creative writing major, Shawn White, is called home from his schooling in Germany to attend his father’s funeral only to find his mother has already remarried and done so to his uncle. To make matters worse, Hamlet learns his uncle, Claudius, has declared himself king even though Hamlet is the rightful heir to his father’s throne. Throughout the show, Hamlet refers to the whole scenario as “foul incest.” However, Hamlet is visited by the spirit of his father who tells him that he was murdered. Hamlet embarks on trying to find his father’s killer but is met by a barrage of betrayal and both innocent and guilty lives lost. Ultimately, because the story of Hamlet is a tragedy, one could assume how the story ends.

Performing Hamlet has been a “major commitment and undertaking” for the Waynesburg University Players due to its difficult language style and its meter of iambic pentameter. Because of this, students had to “really focus on what they were trying to accomplish.”

For White, portraying Hamlet came with its fair share of challenges.

“Being Hamlet comes with so many expectations because there have been so many famous people that have played Hamlet, not that I could necessarily exceed those people, but the fact that this is a story performed by [professionals on a] professional stage, it really is a challenge,” said White.

There is also a scene where Hamlet is wounded on his arm and requires fake blood. According to Eddie Powers, the director of the show and professor of Theatre, it was not up until the dress rehearsal that two crew members figured out the best way to make the stunt work.

“They figured out that by mixing a little bit of water and a lot of blood…the artificial kind, [it looks more realistic],” said Powers. “Hamlet wears the [stunt blood] for the battle scene between him and Laertes.”

One of the reasons Hamlet was selected as the fall play was its wide appeal despite its classical upbringing and associations.

“Shakespeare gives the audience everything they [could] want,” said Powers. “He [gives] them comedy, [gives] them great drama, [gives] them wonderful speeches, beautiful language and then gave them action as well. So, in his day of 1600, he was appealing to all audiences and we [still] think Hamlet can appeal to all audiences today as well, in 2017.”

In terms of the casting, many of the members were “ecstatic” about their roles in the production. Freshman sports broadcasting/sport information major Ed DiOrio portrayed a number of characters throughout the show, but for DiOrio, Hamlet has been his first major production at Waynesburg.

“It’s been so special, hopefully I get to have a lot of participation in other productions moving forward,” said DiOrio. “Obviously this is going to be one I look back on and definitely appreciate. Time flies when you’re having fun and time has really flown by. It will be nice to look back on this show and say ‘this is where it all began.’”

For Tessa Masula, a junior English major, and Steven Caumo, a junior creative writing major, portraying Shakespearean characters “has been a dream come true” due to his lasting impact and influence on literature.

Due to the challenging aspects of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, many of the students felt they “really gave the play justice” and urge students to continue to support the theater department.

In the words of Eddie Powers, “there is no show without an audience to watch it.”