SDSU Presents a Unique Take on Hamlet April 10-19

When Associate Professor Dani Bedau took on San Diego State University’s production of “Hamlet,” she wanted to make the show accessible to both the performers and audience members.

“The idea of student performers, one actor playing the role of Hamlet, didn't feel appropriate to me,” she said. So I had this idea that we would divide the role up.”

Shakespeare's plays have been performed for centuries. For Bedau and other directors, it can be challenging to breathe new life into a play many have already seen or read.

“I also was interested in non-traditional casting,” Bedau said. “All of the people who play Hamlet are female-identifying or non-binary.”

For clarity’s sake, the Hamlets pass props and costume pieces between one another and engage in similar rapid, physical movements.

Additionally, Bedau set the show in a combination of the traditional Renaissance period and the present. These quirks are meant to make the show more accessible and relatable for the students and community members.

“We engage with contemporary music, sort of like rage, metal music, in really interesting ways throughout the play,” Bedau said. “So I'm always looking for ways that we can bring contemporary influences into a play to make it more accessible to an audience.”

For this production, Bedau added two weeks of additional rehearsal at the beginning, when she and three students helped the cast break down the text. This was Bedau’s first time having students help with that process.

“At this point in my career, I’m really interested in promoting student leadership, promoting the next generation of artists, which means working with young artists who are paraprofessionals,” she said. “They're not yet in the field, so the more opportunities I have to give leadership over to students, the better.”

The performers are also receiving theatre experience that will help them in their future career endeavors.

“The experiences that they get on main stage productions at SDSU are pretty akin to what they will experience if they are lucky enough to work in one of the regional theaters,” Bedau said.

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most challenging and demanding characters and even taking on one-eighth of that role is a challenge for the actors.

“The actors who leave the School of Theatre, Television, and Film  having (played) a Shakespeare role, are prepared in a more significant way to enter the field,” Bedau said. “It's quite demanding. It's quite out of reach for all of us. The process we engage in, unpacking it, staying with it, and figuring out how to work. The breath and vocal range we need and emotional commitment we need… if you can do Shakespeare, really, you can do anything as an actor.”

SDSU’s revitalized production of “Hamlet” runs through Sat. April 19, 2025. Tickets are $17 - $20 and can be purchased through the School of Theatre, Television, and Film online box office.