The Bear Creek School’s Fine and Performing Arts Department Presents “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a must-see theater production performed by The Bear Creek School students January 17 and 19.

“Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, to not o’erstep the modesty of nature.” These words, spoken in the third act as Hamlet seeks to discover the truth of his father’s death through a play-within-a-play, remind the performers to act naturally—not to overdramatize, which testifies to Hamlet’s literary and dramatic stature and to the difficulty of grasping the complex and esoteric themes in Shakespeare’s magnum opus.

Continuing in act three, Hamlet encourages the players to hold “a mirror up to nature.” In this, Shakespeare issues the most demanding of stage directions—to represent humanity as it is—glorious and fallen, caught between heaven and earth, fixed in the vexing nature of the human dilemma.

There have been many interpretations of this drama and there are just as many ways to paint Hamlet’s character. Some see him as maddened by grief, others paralyzed by fear, still others as a scheming manipulator. Perhaps the truest challenge of the character and of the play itself is to portray Hamlet simply as a man—no more, no less.

Many of the roles in Bear Creek’s production of Hamlet are double-cast to allow more students to experience and stretch their dramatic muscle. The dark set provides opportunity to invent several unique visual effects and props cleverly engineered to maximize the space while providing hands-on experience for the many students who work behind the scenes.

All performances are open to the public. Tickets ($5 individual or $10 for the whole family) may be purchased at the door. The Bear Creek School Cornerstone Theater, 8905 208th Ave NE, Redmond WA, 98053, 452-898-1720, www.tbcs.org

Performance Schedule
Thursday, January 17, 2012 Matinee Performance 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 17, 2012 Evening Performance 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 19, 2012 Matinee Performance 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 19, 2012 Evening Performance 7:30 p.m.

Director—Dr. Ron Lynch, drama director at The Bear Creek School

Main Characters in this production will be played by the following Bear Creek students:
Hamlet – Jake Casale, senior, Redmond
Gertrude – Makena Schoene, senior, Sammamish
Claudius – Connor Thomas, senior, Woodinville
Horatio and Ophelia (alternating performances) – Sydney Helton, senior, Sammamish; Katie Matthews, senior, Clyde Hill
Laertes – Sam Stansell, senior, Redmond; Seth McBride (understudy), freshman, Carnation

About The Bear Creek School
The Bear Creek School, a leader in classical education for preschool – grade 12 in the Pacific Northwest, offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum from a Christian worldview. The Bear Creek School challenges students to reach their intellectual, emotional and spiritual potential through academics, WIAA athletics, fine arts, community service programs and many other educational and social activities. The Bear Creek School’s curriculum includes AP and Honors classes in its Upper School program. Founded in 1988, the school serves students from the greater Eastside and is housed on three campuses. Redmond Campus on Union Hill serves kindergarten – grade 12 students and Valley Campus, also in Redmond, serves preschool – grade 5 students. Bear Creek has two Early Childhood campuses in Woodinville and Sammamish serving preschool and prekindergarten students. The Bear Creek School is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities and the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools.