Hamlet, Briefly

Leland Kellogg of Newtown is leading another workshop at C.H. Booth Library for young adults. This time the professional actress and teacher is taking on Shakespeare, and is inviting anyone entering grade 7 and above this fall to join her for The Fifteen Minute Hamlet.

Participants will rehearse and stage a hilarious Shakespearean spoof in two days. The program will run Friday, August 6, 1 to 5 pm, and Saturday, August 7, 1 to 4 pm, followed immediately by a public performance.

“It’s all in the presentation,” wrote one reviewer of Tom Stoppard’s The Fifteen Minute Hamlet, a 16-page adaptation of Shakespeare’s longest play. Mr Stoppard’s work was released in 1978 and the performance world hasn’t been the same ever since.

Ms Kellogg will base her workshop on Mr Stoddard’s play. There is a $30 program fee, plus a refundable $20 script charge.

Registration is open for those who want to participate in the workshop and those who want to see the she. Visit the main floor circulation desk at Booth Library, 25 Main Street in Newtown, or call 426-4533.