Theater competed with the play “Hamluke” on Jan. 31 at the Minnesota State High School League statewide competition. Their performance pleased many people, and it has pushed their reputation higher.
The competition showed judges the impeccable talents of Stillwater Theater over other schools. It required them to put together their set in 10 minutes and perform in 35 minutes, while also putting on an enjoyable show. Theater executed the show very well and impressed many people.
“Hamluke” is a play scripted by Brad Erickson that features pieces from “Star Wars” and “Hamlet”. The show has a lot of real Shakespeare that is seen in “Hamlet”. To add a humorous spin, “Star Wars” phrases are embedded into Shakespeare’s lines. Phrases like “plays within I’ll catch the conscience of the king” are altered to “plays within I’ll catch the conscience of the Sith”. Audience members find it unique and funny giving Stillwater Theater an advantage over other schools.
“Stillwater has done some unique, original pieces, which gives us an advantage in the competition,” junior Isaac Howard said.
The original “Hamluke” was about one hour and thirty minutes long, but it had to be cut down to a maximum of 35 minutes for the One-Act competition. Doing this came with many challenges for the actors and director.
One of the big challenges was “making sure that we stay true to what has already been done, while also merging and creating this fun experience for the audience,” Howard said. He played Hamluke, which is the character that portrays Hamlet and Luke Skywalker. Howard needed to find ways to stay true to both characters while also putting emotion and believable acting into it.
Staying true to the original message of “Star Wars” and “Hamlet” is difficult when there is only so much time they can perform. Cutting the show down from 1 hour, 30 minutes to 35 minutes means taking out factors of the script.
“You fall in love with all parts of the script, so you have to decide what you’re going to cut to make it the most competitive and still tell the best story within 35 minutes,” Theater Director Grif Sadow said.
MSHSL statewide competition covers a variety of high school league activities such as sports, music, arts and theater. There are many differences between sports and theater, yet both are competed at a state level.
Sadow describes the challenge of competing a play as it is an art, and it can be subjective. It is not an athletic event where the teams score goals to determine who wins.
“Hamlet” and “Star Wars” are two iconic pieces written for all audience members. The tragedy of “Hamlet” brought to harmony with the comedy and action of “Star Wars” truly creates a showpiece for anyone to enjoy. Theater did an amazing job connecting with the audience with many different aspects of the show.
