Productions

Six Degrees of Hamlet

Notes on Shakespeare. An original production of Musica Aperta

Directed by Joe Banno
Original Story by Juan Uriagereka
Script Alyson Currin
Music Director / Arranger Mariano Vales
Choreographer Gabriel Chajnik
Artistic Director Ignacio Alcover
Executive Director Marina Galvani

Six Degrees of Hamlet was presented at the Shakespeare Theatre as a part of the 2007 Washington Shakespeare Festival. In this show, Musica Aperta puts a new spin on Shakespeare’s greatest play. The performance features chamber, instrumental and vocal music from more than a dozen composers who were inspired by the play. The production takes a prismatic look at Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia, refracting it through the interactions of an Elizabethan clown and a modern-day janitor who meet on stage by strange coincidence. Their exploration into the twists and turns of Hamlet and Ophelia’s romance triggers a wild deconstruction of the play that draws on an eclectic mix of “Hamlet”-inspired music from the last four centuries.

The audience experiences Hamlet’s journey by way of dance, spoken text (both Elizabethan and modern), and music from composers as diverse as William Byrd, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and John Cage.

“The role of music is open-ended and solid contributions from the musicians, actors and dancers made “ Six Degrees” equally fulfilling for veteran concertgoers and first-timers”
The Washington Post, 2007

The Company

Cleaning Lady: Nancy Robinet
Second Clown: Rick Foucheux
Sopranos: Lorena Guillen - Elizabeth Stevens
Dancers: Gabriel Chajnik - Ivanova Aguilar
Violin I: Joel Fuller
Violin II: Sonia Hayes
Viola: Mia Lee
Cello: Ignacio Alcover
Double Bass: Greg Watkins (June 18) - Ed Malaga (June 25)
Flute / Piccolo / Alto Flute: Adria Foster
Oboe / English Horn: Joan Wright
Clarinet / Bass Clarinet / Alto Saxophone: Lee Lachman (June 18) - David Jones (June 25)
French Horn: Geoffrey Pilkington, Kathryn Brake
Piano / Keyboard: Kathryn Brake
Timpani / Percussion: Bill Richards
Conductor: Mariano Vales

Part I

Toward High Tide

Prelude

“Ophelia” by Natalie Merchant

Scene 1

“Good Night” excerpt from movements 1 & 2, by Henryk Górecki

Scene 2

“How Should I your True Love Know” melody attributed to William Byrd

Scene 3

“Ophelia” by John Cage

Scene 4

“Fourth Song of Ophelia” from Hamlet, incidental music Op.77, by Sergei Prokofiev

Scene 5

“Entr’acte and Melodrame” from Hamlet, incidental music Op. 67a by Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

Scene 6

“The Mousetrap” from Hamlet: A Shakespeare Scenario, by William Walton, and “Duel and Death of Hamlet” excerpts from Hamlet, film score, Op. 116, by Dmitri Shostakovich

Part 2

Toward Low Tide

Scene 6

“Marcia funebre” from Hamlet, incidental music Op. 67a, by Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

Scene 5

“Soliloquy” from Hamlet: A Shakespeare Scenario, by William Walton

Scene 4

“La Mort d'Ophelie” by Hector Berlioz

Scene 3

“Death of Ophelia” excerpts from Hamlet, film score, Op. 116, by Dmitri Shostakovich

Scene 2

“Ophelia-Lieder” op. 67,” by Richard Strauss

Scene 1

“Good Night” excerpt from movement 2, by Henryk Górecki

Postlude

“Ophelia” by Natalie Merchant