Jordan Koerperich
Sugar Beet staff reporter
Hamlet by Shakespeare is one of the most famous and renowned plays of his generation and continues into this age with the Garden City High Schools drama departments reproduction of it. The GCHS theater definitely had there hands full with this play as it is Shakespeare’s longest at 4,042 lines. Johb Silva is one of the 14 actors involved in the production.
“I think the production went amazing,” Silva said. “Everyone really stepped it up and we all showed our true talent when we hit the stage. I had to learn to leave my emotions and frustrations at the door when I walked into the rehearsals. I love meeting new people and really just being a family.”
Hamlet is such a diverse play and can be retold many times with different variations, even Disney’s The Lion King is an adaptation of Hamlet. GCHS made the play their very own with the use of paint to demonstrate Hamlets madness and humor in the production. Each show the GCHS auditorium was full with eager students, teachers and residents waiting to see the play, including Jescie Bribiesca.
“I totally enjoyed the play,” Bribiesca said. “I think it was for sure the best show GCHS has put on yet. I decided to go see the show because a lot of my friends were in it and told just about everyone we know to go see it.”
For anyone who missed this play and would like to see upcoming productions, the drama department is putting on the show Pippin by Bob Fosse and Rodger O. Hirson on Nov. 9, 10 and 11. Following this will be Evita in March and The Heart of Robin Hood in April.
Barbara Hilt is one of the drama teachers behind the scenes putting these play together.
“I think Hamlet is the best production ever put on stage as GCHS,” Hilt said. “The actors playing Hamlet and Ophelia really put in a lot of time to understand and recreate their characters. We watched over three hours of Shakespeare plays as a team and really created something engaging for teens, which is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.”
Hamlet is usually a five and a half hour production that the drama department cut down into a little over two hours of play time.
“So many things go into making these productions,” Hilt continued. “We analyze the script, create all the scenery, we have sound and light techs plus the makeup, hair, costumes which were all made by my sister, Robyn Hilt, and her students. We had rehearsal for six weeks that includes stage combat training.”
Jordan Koerperich is a trade and health academy junior you can contact him at koerperichj@student.gckschools.com.
Garden City High School 