Pitt-Greensburg theater production a dark dive into 'Hamlet'

Pitt-Greensburg Theatre Company’s spring production is Shakespeare — but not Shakespeare for purists.

“’Dark Hamlet’ is a collage production of William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet,’ using a severe cutting of the text and the technology of video conferencing to create a morphine dream for the audience — and for the character of Hamlet himself,” said Stephen A. Schrum, director of theater and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.

“Dark Hamlet” will be presented in two live performances on Zoom, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The performances will be archived and made available for viewing after the live run is complete..

Free access will be available at greensburg.pitt.edu.

“We are looking to create a performance that will use Zoom to its advantage,” Schrum said.

Schrum said his initial inspiration came from a book called “Recycling Shakespeare,” in which director Charles Marowitz says Shakespeare’s texts should not be considered sacred, but rather be used as starting points for new works that restructure the plays.

“The draft sat gathering dust in my filing cabinet until a more recent inspiration struck,” he said.

That came when Schrum’s play, “Aliens! 3 Miles, Turn Left,” was produced as part of a virtual theater project by the Alley Theatre in Dublin, Ohio. Next, the play was chosen as a finalist by The Red Curtain International Good The@tre Festival, a festival of online plays headquartered in India.

“While participating in a welcome event, I watched a play written specifically for presentation on Zoom, and recalled ‘Dark Hamlet,’ thinking it had been incubating for just this moment,” Schrum said.

“Dark Hamlet” begins with the “To be or not to be” soliloquy and unfolds as Hamlet’s morphine dream. About one-sixth of the original text remains and not in the usual order, but what the audience does see and hear will illuminate both the play and the character, Schrum said.

Main characters include alumnus John Paul Ritchey of Greensburg as Hamlet; visual and performing arts major Callum Vargo as Dark Hamlet; creative and professional writing major Emily Buckel as Ophelia; alumnus Jason Vichinsky as King Claudius/Ghost; English literature major Felicia Dusha as Queen Gertrude; psychology major Clayton E. Gregg as Laertes; alumnus Cletus McConville as Polonius; and alumnus Logan Tomko as Horatio.

Students Michele Laity and Chloe Mager serve as stage manager and assistant stage manager, respectively.