The Creative Drama Ensemble (KSE) is staging Sunday, October 3rd, at William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The Freising theater group would like to perform the more than 400-year-old play in a contemporary and minimalist manner, which in turn is based on a medieval Nordic narrative. Director Leoni Mäurer explains how what the audience expects can be achieved and why virtual rehearsals were actually beneficial in the high phase of the pandemic.
In the tragedy named after him, the Danish Prince Hamlet (played by Jonathan Avonda) seeks revenge on his uncle Claudius (Nils Mäurer). This is said to have murdered Hamlet’s father, the king, and now lives in a forbidden marriage with Hamlet’s mother. But Hamlet would not be a Shakespeare play if the heir to the throne were to simply eliminate the illegitimate ruler according to the eye-for-eye principle.
The prince simulates madness in order to gain time, but thereby becomes more and more entangled in chaos. Friends and his lover Ophelia (Svenja Vogel) are commissioned to listen to him, the madness becomes reality. Misunderstandings, treachery and murder give the catastrophe its impetus.
Minimal use of props
The KSE does not want to depict a specific era with its staging. “We don’t want to stage the renaissance, but more modern,” says Mäurer. “There are no swords instead of pistols, no old costumes, the use of props is minimal. We try to make it timeless.” For this purpose, the ensemble also used a more recent translation by Frank Günther. Günther, who died in 2020, translated Shakespeare’s complete works into German from the 1970s onwards.
In interviews, he stated that he was creating a language without incorrect syntax or grammar, as is the case with other, sometimes cranky-sounding translations. Günther’s language is “a bit old-fashioned”, says Mäurer, but not as much as that of August Wilhelm von Schlegel (1767 – 1845). The themes of tragedy are also timeless. “Because the thoughts that Hamlet has in his monologues are still bothering people and are important,” explains Mäurer. Thoughts about death, about God and the world.
Inner conflict
Hamlet is caught in an inner conflict between a desire for self-righteous atonement and a modern, self-reliant image of man. The beginning of his most famous monologue is still symbolic today for situations that are existentially significant for those affected: “To be or not to be, that is the question here”. Nevertheless, says Mäurer, some of the play can no longer be portrayed today as it was in Shakespeare’s time. For example, the way Ophelia suffered from patriarchy. It is a challenge to adequately portray the valuable thoughts of this figure.
For Mäurer, “Hamlet” is a directorial debut. The 22-year-old already assisted in school, but that is not the same, she says. “It’s interesting to see how much work has gone into a piece like this. Putting this idea of how it could turn into reality is a great experience.” Rehearsing started over a year ago. But after a reading sample in attendance, you had to switch to Zoom meetings because of the second lockdown. In the months that followed, they mainly worked on the characters.
80 seats for spectators
In retrospect, it wasn’t that bad, says Mäurer. When face-to-face rehearsals were possible again at the end of May, everyone was sure of the text, especially Avonda as a Hamlet actor had a lot of text to learn. “Hamlet” can be seen in the Montessori Center Freising, Gute Änger 32, on Sunday, October 3rd, as well as from Friday to Sunday on the following two weekends. Admission is at 7 p.m., starts at 7.30 p.m. and lasts around two hours. Admission is free. The 3-G rule applies; You can also take a quick antigen test you have brought with you for your own use on site under supervision. There is no reservation option. In contrast to Shakespeare’s times, when the audience usually had to stand, there are 80 seats, divided into groups of seats. More information at www.kse-theater.de.