June 29 saw me with another Hamlet privilege. Only this time, I had the chance to witness professionals at work. Bell Shakespeare have been putting together Shakespeare’s epic for a number of months now and began their Australian tour on July 10 and will end in Sydney. Directed by the incredible Damien Ryan, and led by Josh McConville who portrays Hamlet in one of the most inspiring performances I’ve ever seen, the production was coming together really strongly as I watched and absorbed as much as I could for the day.

When Damien introduced me to the cast, they could not have been more welcoming; the humour, the excitement and of course, the banter. But their ability to quickly shift from friends backstage to siblings, lovers or enemies on stage was extraordinary. It quickly became clear how utterly seriously they took their roles, no matter how large or small. There were new ideas the production presented, questions the actors challenged, and overall displayed a truly professional contemporary interpretation of the play. To say I learnt a lot would be an understatement, not just about the play itself but about acting and engaging your fellow actors on stage; these guys were true pros.

A huge thanks to Ms Tamara Smith for getting in touch with Bell Shakespeare and giving me the opportunity!

Jeremi Campese (11/MA)
Drama Student