Variations on Hamlet

The Norwegian Forces (Olaf Coffey, Ellie Vegdahl-Crowell, Nyrie Mietzke, and Anna Hawkins-Saurer), rapiers at the ready, sat in the balcony before the Holden School's performance of Variations on Hamlet began. When I walked over below them to take a picture, Elli said."Wanda! we're not supposed to be seen up here! But you can take just one more picture!" I complied. and happily so.

Just as is true with school performances everywhere, proud parents (cameras at the ready), friends, and family members gathered round the fireplace-that-serves-every-purpose-under-the-sun-except-a-fireplace for the evening's entertainment. Elementary school teacher, Steve Marks, videotaped the evening's entertainment. Principal Karen Walters came from Chelan for a regular visit, an Open House, and the evening performance. (Karen is there just over the top of Dave Mietzke's for-some-reason upside down and inside out hat. She is in the royal blue top and is wearing glasses.)

Joseph Coffey was persuaded to put his knitting needles aside for the duration and to begin the program with his own imaginative version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Wearing a University of Oregon sweat shirt, he billed himself as Professor Adam Long of the University of Oregon.

From Hamlet, Act Five, Scene 2 (and left to right) we have Horatio (Katie Benjamin), King Claudius (Grace Coffey), Hamlet (Raina Borges), and Laertes (Joseph Coffey, still without his knitting and without the Oregon sweat shirt!).

Atop the central fireplace, a sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes. Lord Osric (Andrew Dutcher) looks on from the sidelines.

From the throne, Fortinbras, Prince of Norway (August Carpenter), prepares to place the crown on his own head. At his feet, the corpse of Queen Gertrude (Ingrid Chiles).

The final act of the evening was a short play (Words, Words, Words) by David Ives. From front to back, Jonathon swift (Maya Norton), John Milton (Cailan Carpenter) and Franz Kafka 9Marta Vegdahl-Crowell) in the familiar pose of "hear no evil," "see no evil," "speak no evil."

Marta Vegdahl-Crowell playing a monkey, inadvertently begins typing the script of Hamlet.

While the play was the major centerpiece of the evening's entertainment, it followed an Open House for the elementary school students and the initial performance of the vespers service just completed by Will Chiles who is here on a creative resource residency for a month. When he wasn't cooking in the kitchen, doing garbo, or serving on dish team, he was writing music.

Just another evening at Holden.