Notes on the Text

Q) What attracted you to do Hamlet as a director?

Roger Gimblett: Hamlet was the first Shakespeare I recall seeing and I remember the experience well (I think I was probably about 10 at the time). Although I wasn't alive to all the nuances at that age I do remember becoming caught up in the drama of the story...and of course the fencing was pretty exciting too! In the last couple of years, and having seen many other productions, I have been increasingly drawn back to the play. I believed that if I could assemble the right group of people it would be a fascinating experience to stage this great drama. I am extremely fortunate that the right group of people said 'yes'!!

Q) Some productions of Shakespeare modernise and/or bend the text to an almost unrecognisable state while others stick devotedly to the original work. Where do you see your production fitting into the two extremes?

Roger Gimblett: I think there are two schools of thought on this - one that Shakespeare must be made relevant to the present day and the other that a period treatment is the better way to understand the plays in their context. This production stays faithful to the original text (apart from the cuts required to reduce the running time) and is set in period. While I have seen and enjoyed many new interpretations of the play involving gender swapping, futuristic settings and sometimes wholesale rewriting of the script I wanted to produce a production which was faithful to the times - times when royal authority was a formidable concept, when the supernatural was more pervasive in its influence and when loyalty could be a matter of life or death. Rather than imposing an enviroment that is alien to particular themes of the piece - although many of the themes are universal - I hope the audience will find that the historical context allows them to draw parallels more easily with the world of today.

Q) Hamlet is a long play - how are you approaching this?

Roger Gimblett: On my recollection the full script of Hamlet exceeds 30,000 words and takes some four hours to play. We have cut 12,000 words and are aiming for a running time of less than 3 hours including interval! I am extremely grateful to Sandra Bass for her help in editing Shakespeare...which is always a slightly sacreligeous concept!

Q) What do you hope to bring out of the text? What do you hope the audience takes away after watching Hamlet?

Roger Gimblett: Effectively I hope we bring out the characters and the story. The fact that the play is so well known should not blind us to our duty to perform clear, dramatic and exciting theatre. It should not be forgotten that Shakespeare wrote for, and entertained, a barely literate audience. Rather then becoming hamstrung by the beauty of the writing or the deep psychological issues that underscore the play, I hope we can use these as part of the tapestry of a rich and enthralling evening of theatre. The play should move, excite, anger, provoke and entertain audiences. For first time Shakespeare punters I hope the experience will encourage them to see more of his plays.

Q) Are you excited about working in the Tom Mann Theatre?

Roger Gimblett: We are fortuunate to be working in a modern, air-conditioned venue which is so easily accessible. The facilities the theatre offers, including a fly floor, full lighting and sound rig and additional technical equipment, allow us to provide an extremely atmospheric playing environment. The audiences will have the benefit of comfortable seating in a modern auditorium. And the extraordinarily comfortable dressing rooms are a great blessing for our cast!

Q) What do you see as your biggest challenge?

Roger Gimblett: As the director it is providing the best opportunity and encouragement to the cast to take this most amazing and dramatic story and make it come alive for themselves and for our audience.

For any media and publicity enquires please contact Loretta Tolnai on 0424 329 674

For more information regarding this production of Hamlet please email hamlet@agendi.com