A Sick Take on Shakespeare: HRS Performances in the COVID-19 Era

Following the merging of all students on campus and the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, many activities are reopening at the School. One activity is theater, and to celebrate the return of the theater department, they decided to put on a play. Sophomore Jasmine Khalil who has a long history of participating in School plays, describes the performance as “a bunch of teenagers trying to put on a parody of Shakespeare with COVID involved.” She goes on to explain that the play is a rendition of Hamlet with a modern twist, incorporating pop culture and the current pandemic in order to give a robust portrayal of the modern teenage experience. The original play is a tale of revenge, as Prince Hamlet seeks to kill his uncle and reclaim the throne. Khalil plays Guildenstern, a childhood friend turned enemy of Hamlet in the original play. The performance has been “a lot of fun” according to Khalil, and everyone working on it is excited to get back into theater. But it’s more than just a performance, Khalil says, “You get to be a part of a community of more than just one grade, if you’re not in sports it’s good to get outside your grade.” When asked about her favorite part of the whole experience, Khalil thinks that “it was fun having such a good group of people, theater people are really amazing.” The performances took place on the 25th, 26th, and 27th.