There’s something revolutionary in the state of Denmark. I.A. Richards said a book is a machine to think with: the Peruvian theatre company Teatro La Plaza use scenes from Hamlet not only to think with, but also as a machine for responding.
Carefully judged balance of gentleness and passion (sometimes anger)
The cast of eight Down Syndrome players uses a full range of theatrical devices. There are hilarious scenes such as when Olivier’s film portrayal is studied, copied, but finally rejected due to the necessity of the actor needing to find a way that is true to themselves. Members of the audience are brought on stage to take part in the Mousetrap play within a play with hilarious acting assistance given. The cast perform protest raps, rock songs and discuss their personal stories, ambitions and worries. Video is also used for the Ghost and to show group rehearsals and the actors’ lives at home. Scenes from the play are performed, commented on and taken in new directions. There is also a very surprising online interview.
There is a carefully judged balance of gentleness and passion (sometimes anger) as the actors reveal and respond to the overt or hidden antagonisms in the general culture that have to be overcome – whether in society as a whole or in the intimately connected field of art.
Taking a deep breath, some of the topics covered are acting, cultural inheritance and respect for it; cultural dominance and the need to find new voices; the marginalisation of women and the neurodivergent. The play subtly contrasts Hamlet’s solipsism with the enviable sense of community and family that the company demonstrates.
What emerges from the production is a kind of manifesto – bringing the audience into a new appreciation of societal and cultural dominance: a deeper understanding and a sort of joyous and hopeful call to arms. This is summarised in the closing section where the actors bring the audience onto the stage to join in the joy and solidarity of dance.
