WORDS / HANNA CURTIS

Just off of Dickson, very near the Walton Arts Center, lies what promises to be another gem in Fayetteville’s flourishing artistic district – TheatreSquared. The 2013/14 season was nothing less than a glowing success, and was capped off with a stunning work directed beautifully by Sean Patrick Reilly and written by none other than The Bard himself. In their first season with five shows, T2 decided to do their first Shakespearean piece, Hamlet, in about half the original run time with only nine actors to play the more than twenty parts.

The theatre itself, a tiny black box seating only 175, was transformed into the castle of the King of Denmark with minimal scenery and lighting, and yet the ambiance was not lost. The open stage provided lots of room for the big emotions elicited by the tragedy, and huge they were indeed. The lighting, too, remained pleasantly unobtrusive, highlighting what was necessary and sometimes creating a mysterious mood, but never drawing away from the natural beauty of Shakespeare.

The costumes were interesting. When the costume department met with the director, I would imagine that they were met with every designer’s worst nightmare: “Make it timeless.” The costumes, though certainly not period pieces, were neither markedly modern. Instead the actors’ suits were shades of grey that allowed the characters to weave their own garments. The only changes made throughout the play were the removal or addition of a coat to determine whether Laertes or a member of the ensemble were on stage (as both were masterfully portrayed by the same person), and Ophelia’s switch to tattered rags when her mind did the same. The play was as big of a salute to the department’s ability to pull off “timeless” as it was T2’s to pull of Shakespeare.

What really made the performance, though, was the acting. Courtneay Sanders drew more than a few sighs of sympathy, and perhaps some dewy eyes, as poor Ophelia. Troy Schremmer was a truly daunting Claudius, expertly commanding an essence of authority by his kingly demeanor. The entire play was a veritable cocktail of acting styles with most performers playing multiple parts and all very well, and what really held everything together was Grant Goodman, the keystone Hamlet. His vibrant enthusiasm and unique flair were enough to warrant immediately getting a ticket for a repeat performance as soon as the curtain was drawn the first time. He simply was Hamlet, visibly affected by every plot twist and line uttered, and his delivery was such that even the ofttimes-convoluted words of Shakespeare seemed natural banter.

If profit were the goal, though it’s not, this little theatre should be very pleased with their most recent play. TheatreSquared’s performance of Hamlet alone was enough to make one consider a subscription to their upcoming season, the first play of which, One Man, Two Guvnors, premiers August 28. Instead, they should find satisfaction in it undoubtedly meeting their founding philosophy that “theatre – done well and with passion – can transform lives and communities.”

VISIT: THEATRE2.ORG

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