describe how you would direct either Sophocles' OEDIPUS REX or William Shakespeare's HAMLET. Name which play you have chosen.

You must direct this production in a theatre, but you can pick if this theater will be proscenium, thrust, or arena. Why this type of theatrical space?

Name a simple theme for this production, such as "evil must be conquered" or "vengeance is worth it."

Why this theme; what in the script leads you to believe this is the essence of this play?

Name one symbol for your production that will be the central symbol for your production. Why this symbol?

How does it embody your production?

Describe in what period you will place your play? Why?

 What does this era help signify in your production?

What kind of setting will you need?

Describe different elements of it. Describe your lead character's costumes. What colors, designs, and textures do you see? How will the set and costumes be lit? Is the stage dark and cold? Warm? Describe what you want to see from your lighting designer.

Finally, name your dream cast, and give a few statements of explanation why you have chosen this dream cast. You will be given a million dollars to mount this production, and since you are a famous director, every actor wants to be a part of this production.

Here are two themes from Shakespeare's Hamlet:

1. Vengeance is a doomed quest.
2. Man cannot play God.

Choose which theme you would like to focus on, and this theme will help you decide on the other elements of your production. Why? Because you will want the other elements of your production to help convey the theme to your audience. These are the elements you will have to decide on:

• Type of theatre
• Central symbol
• Time period setting
• Set design / costumes / lighting
• Cast

Why start with a theme?

The best way for a director to conceptualize his production of a play is to decide on the theme he or she would like to focus on. The theme serves as your compass. It will guide the other choices you make as a director because you will want the other elements of your production to help convey the theme.

For example, if I want to stage a play with the theme, "The lives of the poor are unimaginable for the upper-and middle-class," I would probably stage it in a small, enclosed venue. Such a setting would immerse my audience in a world that feels unfamiliar, and being so immersed in it would make them feel uncomfortable. Thus, placing the audience in such a small, enclosed setting would force them to feel just how strange the world of the poor would feel to them. In this way, my choice of theatre space helps convey my theme.

So you must first decide on your theme.

Themes in Hamlet

Here are some themes from Hamlet:

1. Vengeance is a doomed quest.
2. Man cannot play God.

Explanation for theme 1: Hamlet is a play that centres around vengeance. The objective of the title character, Hamlet, is to seek vengeance for his father, who has been killed by his uncle. However, we see how his quest ends in tragedy: everyone, including Hamlet himself, dies in the end. Hamlet shows us how vengeance is a doomed quest from the very beginning. Vengeance makes you crazed and unhappy so that it inevitably ends in tragedy, not only for yourself, but also for those surrounding you.

Explanation for theme 2: Hamlet (the character) tries to play God when he not only decides to kill Claudius, but even tries to decide where Claudius will end up after death, heaven or hell. In Act III, Hamlet sees Claudius praying and decides not to kill him at that moment because, if he kills Claudius while he is praying, then Claudius will die as a good person and will merit heaven. The play teaches us that no man can ever have the power to decide where another man ultimately ends up (heaven or hell). The only one who can make that judgment is God or a Higher Being. Because Hamlet becomes so obsessed with sending Claudius to hell, he was trying to exercise a power that no man can ever hold. This is partly what led to Hamlet's own destruction.

Deciding on the elements of your production

Now that you have decided on a theme, you should decide on how to let your production best convey this theme. The two themes above are both dark, violent themes, which show how a man can end up destroying himself (pursuing vengeance or trying to exercise the power of God).

Here are some guiding questions to help you decide on your production elements:

Type of theater

• What kind of theatre space will not only allow my audience to see the action (Hamlet's attempts to kill Claudius, the sword fights) but will also allow them to closely observe Hamlet during his solitary moments? It is during Hamlet's solitary moments that we see the effect that vengeance is having on his soul.

Time period setting

• Shakespeare's Hamlet might have been set in the 1300s/1400s, but the themes can be applied across different time periods. What is a time period/place that seems to carry a lot of vengeance, hatred, and a lack of forgiveness, and that can benefit from the lessons in Shakespeare's play? (You can even try to think of the present.)

Central symbol

• The play is not simply about vengeance, but about the consequences of vengeance. What kind of symbol can remind the audience throughout the play about the consequences of vengeance? (Example: a handkerchief used by Hamlet, which develops blood-stains as the play progresses)

Visual elements: Set design / Costumes / Lighting

• What kind of colours (in the set design, costumes, and lighting) can convey the MOOD of this play?

Cast

• Who is an actor who you admire, who you think can carry out the complexity of Hamlet's transformation (i.e., he loses his sanity as he pursues vengeance)?