Hamlet

written by William Shakespeare; adapted by Nathan R. Miles

New Antiquities Theatre Company (2019); Southwest Theatre Conference (2021); Fort Worth Fringe Festival (2021, 2024); New Mexico Junior College (2025)

Production Design: Nathan R. Miles; Original Music (2019-2021): Rachel N. Wagner; Stage Manager: Sarah Bunch (2019), Chloe Smith (2021-2025)

The concept behind Hamlet was that a performer was creating the world in front of us using only items that would be available in a rehearsal space. A lost and found box, broken furniture, a discarded lunchbox with old lunch, and rehearsal clothes were utilized to build the world and give me something to interact with. One of the few concessions we made was the skull for the grave digger scene. That piece of imagery was important for us to get right.

Over the years, the piece has changed considerably and has proved to be very adaptable. I’ve performed it in a variety of venues and scaled it back even more than when it was first presented. It’s a piece that I like to keep on rotation due to its educational value for schools and its suitability to the Fringe model.

photo credit: John McMillan