Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
The Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019
Director: Brian Vaughn
Scenic Design: Jason Lajka
Costume Design: Bill Black
Lighting Design: William C. Kirkham
Sound Design/Composition: Joe Payne
Fight Director: Paul Dennhardt
Stage Manager: Terence Orleans Alexander
Designed as Czarist Russia – full of majesty, strength, and corruption. The music was adapted from traditional folk tunes and famous Russian composers including; Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, and a little Chopin for good measure.
Review: The technical element that does the most to establish the mood of Hamlet is Joe Payne‘s sound design. The cacophonous overlap of bells and music that open the show and the distortion of the ambient sounds in early scenes foreshadow the dark events of the play. Most terrifying, though, is the echoing voice of the ghost (played by John G. Preston), which is so powerful that Hamlet feels compelled to do the ghost’s bidding. The thunderous commands resonate through the theater and convey the authority of both a father and the grave. – Utah Theatre Bloggers Association By Russell Warne Article Link
Music and Sound Effect Sequences
Click here to listen to more clips and to purchase this score
Hamlet Speaker Plot.pdf
Photos by Karl Hugh. Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019.