Students are required to stage a scene from Hamlet and complete a write up providing a rationale for all of their production decisions.

1. Ms. Drinkward
AP English Literature & Composition
“ Hamlet” Project: Stage a Scene
DIRECTIONS: There will be two parts to the “Hamlet” stage a scene project – the write up
& the production. Each part will be a group grade, based on the rubrics attached.
The Write Up: Your group should make decisions about each of the sections as a whole
group, and then have individual members of the group take responsibility for writing and
typing up individual sections. Each member of the group should be responsible for
writing up at least 2 sections of the written paper for your group. The “credits” section
at the end will list who was responsible for each section. NOTE: Make sure that in each
section you provide a rationale for each of the decisions your group made.
• 5 sentence paraphrase of the scenes – The first sentence should indicate what
comes before the scenes. The middle 3 sentences should describe the action of
your scenes. The final sentence should indicate the important results that come
from these scenes in the rest of the play.
• Copy of the scenes (with any cuts/additions shown). You may download the scenes
from the internet.
• Transcription of the scenes – this is a longer, line by line paraphrase of the
scenes.
• Characterization – What will be the emotional tone taken by each character
(including tonal changes within the scenes).This may include tone of voice, facial
expression, body language, etc.
• Costuming – How will each character be dressed? What era of dress will your
scene represent? You may want to research your costuming before deciding.
• Stage Direction - How will each character be positioned in the scenes? How will
they be postured? What movements will they make on stage? This includes
proximity to other characters, standing, sitting or lying down, body language, and
how the characters will face or turn away from others.
• Lighting – How dark or light should the scenes be? From what direction should
light come? Who should be lit or unlit? When should lighting change?
• Props – What props will you need in your scenes? What type of furniture? Look at
the text for clues.
• Setting – Where should your scenes be set? Indoors or outdoors? In a populated
area or in a secluded area? In a plain or ornate setting? Should the setting
change?
• Additions/Cuts – What will you add or take away from the scenes, and why?
• Analysis of the major themes represented in your scenes and how they will be
manifested in your production.
• Audience – Identify your audience and indicate provisions you made to ensure
that your audience would be engaged in and comprehend your scenes.
• Credits – A list of each of the production responsibilities and who wrote up each
task. Also, a list of players for your scene. Who will act each part? What “extras”
will be used?
NOTE: In each section you may want to state what you would like to do, but then consider the
limitations we have and describe how you will alter your scene given the constraints of your
stage.

2. The Production: Your production is the visual representation of your write up. It will be
videotaped and graded by the class and teacher based on the attached rubric. Please
assign persons from your group to read the 5 sentence paraphrase to your audience, act
in the scene and perform stage tasks such as lighting, props, scene setting, and
costuming. You may need to “hire” others for smaller parts or to help with stage tasks.