An Actor's Method to Building the Character of Hamlet in

250 Pages·2016·9.04 MB·English

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University of New Orleans Theses and
Dissertations and Theses
Dissertations
Fall 12-18-2015
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Samuel C. Malone III
MFA Graduate Student, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td
Part of the Acting Commons, Performance Studies Commons, and the Theatre History Commons
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Malone, Samuel C. III, "An Actor's Method to Building the Character of Hamlet in The Tragedy of Hamlet,
Prince of Denmark" (2015). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2096.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2096
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An Actor’s Method to Building the Character of Hamlet in
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

A Thesis

Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the
University of New Orleans
In partial fulfillment of the
Requirements for the degree of

Master of Fine Arts
In
Film & Theatre
Theatre Performance: Acting

By

Sam Malone

B.A. Louisiana State University, 2010

December 2015
© 2015, Samuel C. Malone III

All Rights Reserved

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To BJ
To Momma and Daddy, Nita, Mity, Pooh, Hoop, Moo Man, Meri, Mani, and Mymy
pumkin. To my Gift from God, Nikki, my wife, and to her family. To all my family in
New Orleans, Natchez, Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, Oakland, etc. To big Cuz for bringing me
down here. To my old neighborhood, formerly known as Beverly Hills. To my best friend
James Mosby who died in first grade and his family. To all the people I know who
invested their time in me. To all my former teachers and coaches who took time to
educate me. To Uncle Lil Jr. and Aunt Mae and their family. To Uncle James, Aunt
Emma, Uncle Nathaniel, Uncle Mac, Uncle Richard, Aunt Ora Dee. To the fallen
soldiers: Aunt Lilly Bee, Aunt Ollie Mae, Uncle Roosevelt, my Grandparents, Aunt
Estelle, Terry Smith, Uncle Pet Lee, Uncle Dave, Aunt Bessie, Uncle Holloway, Uncle
Popeye, Cousin Darryl, and to John Dennis, one of my biggest inspirations. To Rueben
Mitchell. To Nu I and the 9. To all the fighters for freedom and equality. To all the
people I failed to mention that have gone on before me and have left me with the gift of
their memories. To those gone I never met, who have made this possible and given this
voice a platform. To all before me who have paved the way for me to be here and to all
that may follow whom I hope I have, in some way, paved the way for. Also, to all the
Hamlets out there, past, present, and future...
God Bless.

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Acknowledgements

I want to thank God. For giving me this opportunity to be. I’m thankful for life, dear Lord
and I thank You and praise You for my family, for my wife, for my son, for all my family
and friends, loved ones near and far. I thank You for health and strength, wisdom and
understanding. Thank You for guidance Father. Thank You for all that You’ve done, all
You’re doing, and all that You will do. You’ve been so good to me Lord, and I want to
say thank You . I worship You Lord, for You are the Creator, You made me and You
built me with a purpose, and I thank You for all the gifts You’ve given me, and I pray
that You give me the wisdom and strength to use You’re gifts to the best of my ability
and I hope and pray that my work touches someone in a positive way and inspires them.
Thank You for a relationship with You, Lord, individually and collectively, and I ask that
You continue to strengthen our relationship with You Lord. You are the King of Kings
and Ruler of All Things, and I thank You . Please be present in our lives at all times.
Please protect us from all hurt, harm, and danger. Please have mercy. Thank You Lord.

Thank you to my parents for all the sacrifices they made for me to be able to pursue my
passion. For getting up every morning to go to jobs they didn’t like so we had food on the
table and a roof, and clothes, and felt safe.

Thank you to my wife for being so much more than my wife. For seeing my first show.
Thank you for believing in me. For being in my corner no matter what. For being my
coach, my trainer, my masseuse, my therapist, my accountant, my consultant, my nurse,
my travel agent, my computer expert, my scene partner, my costume designer, my
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lighting designer, my baby momma, my pumkin. Pretty sure I wouldn’t be here if it
weren’t for you. I appreciate you.

Thank you to all of my teachers. Thanks to my acting teachers. Thanks to John Dennis
and Andrea Frankle. Thanks to JD who gave me the eye of the tiger and has had the
biggest impact on my career as an actor. Wish you were here man. Love ya Koch.

In a similar vein, thank you to Meagan and RPM for your continuous encouragement and
for your pep talk in the hallway before the performance that led to the call before the call.

Thank you to the director, Jim Winter, who agreed to take on this massive play with me
and who faced the beast with contagious courage. Thanks for all your sacrifices to make
this experience special for me. Muchas gracias mi amigo.

Thanks to the vastly and diversely talented cast of Hamlet. I’m so thankful to have gone
through this experience with you all. I’ve learned so much from each of you. We are
forever bonded by the experience. You made this exhausting journey so enjoyable,
remarkable, and unforgettable. Thank you.

Thanks to our management team, the Magnificent 6, and thanks to our genius light, set,
and sound designers.

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Thank you to each and every person who stayed until the end of our 3 and a half hour
show. You made all the hours, blood, sweat, and tears we put into this show worthwhile.
I salute you.

Thanks to my Graduate Committee members, Mrs. Debra Daniel, Kevin Griffith, and
David Hoover for taking me in as an MFA Candidate and taking the time to work with
me to help me grow and develop as an artist.

Thanks to my Grad-Brother John. I’m so thankful to have gone through this journey with
you man. I’m not convinced I would have made it without you. I’m eternally grateful for
our friendship.

Finally, thanks to anybody who takes the time to read this. Time is precious so thank you
for your sacrifice.

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Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………...……………………………ix

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1

Chapter 1: William Shakespeare. Who Dat?.……………..…………………………….2

Chapter 2: History of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark……...……………..8

+ Sources & Origins…..………………………………………………………......9

+ Performance History…………………………………………...........................13

Chapter 3: Hamlet the Dane: What’s a King Without a Crown?.................................20

+Character Analysis………...……………………………………………………21

+Script Analysis……………………………………………………See Appendix I

Chapter 4: Production Manuscripts……………………………………………………36

+Rehearsal Journals.……………………………………………………………..38

+Performance Journals…………………………………………………………109

Chapter 5: Artist Evaluation..........................................................................................126

Appendix I: Scored Script………………..……………………………………………..129

Appendix II: Production Documents…………………………………………………...206

Appendix III: Rehearsal Schedule & Scene Breakdown……………………………….233

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Appendix IV: Production Photos……………………………………………………….241

Vita……………………………………………………………………………………...245

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Abstract

This thesis will set out to examine the process needed in order to deliver the
character of Hamlet as a fully dimensional, complex human being who transcends time
periods and class distinctions to connect with any audience of any background. This text
will include biographical information about the author, William Shakespeare, as well as
historical information about the circumstances and atmosphere surrounding the birth of
this play. Included in the scored actor’s script are the Sanford Meisner Techniques of
moment-to-moment analysis and actioning as it relates to Konstantin Stanislavski’s
system, as well as any additional actor’s notes that may have contributed to character
development.
Daily rehearsal and performance journals are also incorporated into this work,
which will serve to share the actor’s goals, his process, his achievements, and his failures
over the course of the production process.

Sam Malone; Hamlet; Building the Character of Hamlet; Prince of Denmark; Theatre;
Acting; Performance
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