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N4 ;‘ ha 9 & } § d“ § «2 5 & 5 â€"_____ & 3 3 : T E G s 5 : Para m = C she or 3 ne ques = _ This issc § '_f'heatre_'s_ C she or not to she â€" that is s Re question. z _ This is something that Paradox & Theatre‘s _ coâ€"directors/actors z Kate Thompsonâ€"Adlers and Jennifer Corbett get asked a lot these days regarding their current allâ€"female production of Hamilet, which continues this weekend at The Registry Theatre. "This gets a little tricky when both of us are onstage." admits Thompsonâ€"Adiers. "We tried to make this a really collaborative process. One night, we actually asked the rest of the cast, ‘watch the show when you are not onstage and takes notes, be conâ€" structive, give everybody feedâ€" back‘ When two people have seen the same scenes over and over, sometimes there are things you don‘t catch. We got a lot of input from the cast and our stage manager was helpful. A lot of times when we are on stage, we are aware enough and experiâ€" enced enough actors that we will notice things that the other perâ€" son is doing. So while we were directing, we really encouraged input from everybody. We wanted everyone to make it as much their own as possible." _So who‘s minding the direcâ€" tor‘s chair? Another _ unusual _ thing about this Hamlet is both Corbett and Thompsonâ€"Adlers are coâ€"directing... each other. Thompsonâ€"Adlers has the monuâ€" mental task of playing Hamlet. Corbett is Horatio, another subâ€" stantial role. Many times the two characters appear in scenes together. "It‘s really about the story," says Thompsonâ€"Adlers. "It‘s more about telling a story and portrayâ€" ing people honestly. The story of Hamlet is so timeless that the allâ€" female cast is not something I consciously think of anymore. We are just people and we are doing stuff. It is not that we are boys and girls, and that we have dangly bits or we don‘t. It‘s a great story about the human condition." To she or not to she «s1 @42 \FAikQo AZA ALLRLZFZ L LRAZF NPA LlLQ 0 0 0 Paradox Theatre presents allâ€"female production of Hamlet Hamlet is a role that every % "Magie. _‘ Gilmore Girls ° | Smallville 8.00PM 9.00PM WeDNESDAY _ market evaluation call John Thompson, Sales Rep. 885â€"0200 j@golden net Selling? For your free www remaxâ€"bmncityâ€"on com ARTS FOCUS "My journey has been really interesting, but holy cow, is that a big pile of lines," said Thompsonâ€"Adlers. "I have been working on them for months. My view of the character changes everytime I step into it. There are definite consistencies, but there is a new layer every single time. Hamlet gets more complicated, and there is more to learn about the character. 1 don‘t think Hamlet is insane, I think Hamlet gets weird because his father dies. But 1 think Hamlet is definitely not in a stable position. As a perâ€" son, 1 find Hamlet is one of the most complete characters J have ever played, because there are actor wants to play, and it usually marks a turning point in the actor‘s career. It is a gruelling jourâ€" ney playing Hamlet, a youth who must avenge his father‘s death at the hands of his uncle who has married his own mother. ety." This is Hamlet as it has never been seen before. "The Amazons were a society of mythological warrior women that lived at the time of the ancient Greeks, say 500 or 600 BC," _ says Thompsonâ€"Adlers. "They were brilliant warriors and great tacticians, and their society was ruled by two queens. One queen for international affairs and one for domestic affairs. The characters Gertrude and Claudius really fit that pattern. The Amazon theme has been used as a jumpâ€" ingâ€"off point to develop our sociâ€" Another slant to the Danish play is the theme of Amazon women, which the coâ€"directors believe fits very well into Shakespeare‘s greatest tragedy. positive and negative aspects, warts and all. It‘s a chance to go through every emotion and she is so mercurial." Mills, also the show‘s costume designer, is responsible for incorâ€" porating the omnigarment, four rectangles of fabric attached to rubber bands that can be configâ€" ured at least 30 different ways that all the actors wear. The highlight of Hamlet is the Continued on page 16 Clad in earthtone swirls of cloth called an omnigarment wrapped around her arms, with a wine corset, Mills is the only actor who actually fits the Amazon theme. She‘s a formidable foe with a petite muscular frame, and a potent understanding of the young scholar who also meets an ill fate at the hands of Hamlet, through "poisonâ€"tipped" swords. as Laertes, a valiant warrior, thrown in the middle of this fray, when his sister Ophelia falls prey to Hamlet‘s verbal treachery. Sadly, this Shakespeare classic is seasoned with some fine acting amidst many oneâ€"dimensional flat characterizations, making the Amazon theme of little or no importance. Aye, there‘s the rub. Thompsonâ€"Adlers as Hamlet shines. Swathed in black, like a modernâ€"day Goth, she exudes petulant youth brooding over the murder of her beloved father, taunting her mother Gertrude and plotting revenge on Claudius â€" yet takes great delight to mudâ€" dle the minds of interchangeâ€" able buffoons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern â€" a nice mix of pouty and playful, with a healthy dollop of 2002 noâ€"nonsense. The other strong character eleâ€" ment of Hamlet is Katherine Mills This Hamlet, is a workshop production for Paradox, which is wise because it gives room for experimentation, makes the play an ongoing exercise. This was a very daring concept which doesâ€" n‘t always work due to a lack of direction. Does it work ? No. "To she or nor to she" has nothing to do with it. Tickets are available at the door or at the Twelfth Night Music Stores in the Atrium at Waterloo Square or in Guelph. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $5 for children 12 and under. Although his symphonies also get great attention, Johannes Brahms is perhaps best known for one choral work, Ein Deutsches Requiem. The Singers will also perform the Brahms‘ Liebeslieder Walzes. A successful cast of candidates will be chosen to join the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble Company, which will include the opportunity to perform Snow White in the Ukrainian and Southern Ontario. The Renaissance Singers present The Genius of Johannes Brahms, March 23, at 8 p.m. at St. Andrews‘ Presbyterian Church, 54 Queen St. N., Kitchener. Needed are dancers, male and female, from 13 years of age and older. Students must have a ballet backâ€" ground â€" strong in jazz or modern. The â€" Canadian _ Ballet Youth Ensemble is holding auditions Feb, 23 from 9â€"11 a.m. at The Cenire in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener After the Nutcracker performances sold out in Hamilton Place last December, Wincza received an invitaâ€" tion from the cultural officials of the Ukraine to present Snow White at The Days of Kiev where international artists perform during this weekâ€"long celebration. The â€" Canadian _ Ballet Youth Ensemble will remount the classic children‘s tale Snow White. Choreographer Vitek Wincza transâ€" forms the story into a wonderful Hallet, which is geared towards family orienâ€" tated audienced. The original North American premiere was presented at Hamilton Place in 1996, which attractâ€" ed thousands. 234 King St. S., Waterloo (corner of King St. & Union St ) Ballet Youth Ensemble holds auditions _â€" Renaissance Singers celebrate Brahms ww w.gotravelplus.com 741â€"0770