H o l l y M. B r e u e r
Scenic Designer & Painter
Hamlet Abridged from the William Shakespeare text by Katy Brown
Barter Players, Abingdon, VA Directed by Katy Brown
Produced with Support from the NEA's Shakespeare in American Communities Grant
Design Team:
Set - Holly M Breuer Lighting - Andrew Morehouse
Costumes - Liz Whittemore Sound - Miles Polaski
 Top of Show |  "What, is Horatio there?" |  "For all, our thanks are giv'n" |
|---|---|---|
 "What do you read, my lord?" |  "Did he receive you well?" |  "The good Gonzago" |
 "An thou hadst not come to my bed" |  "They are not near my conscience." |  "Alas, poor Yorick!" |
 "Now might I do it" |  "How now! A rat?" |  "A hit, a very palpable hit." |
 "Now cracks a noble heart." |  Developmental Sketch |  Early Collage Rendering |
 Revised Rendering |  Later Rendering |  Final Rendering |
 Developmental Model |
In this actor-driven, story-focused, 6-person production of a newly abridged version of the text, the Barter Players sought to illuminate Hamlet's questions about his world and tie those musings to issues students may be currently dealing with. Director Brown requested that the visual world be representative of the "roots of America," feel dark and "tetanus-like," and provide places to hide. To cultivate a feeling of inclusion, we also decided to make some platforms act as audience egress, thus inviting and in fact forcing the audience to become a part of the scenic world. To that end, the set was constructed out of naturally aged lumber that had been sitting outside our scene shop for several months. The backdrop was sculpted out of 40 yards of natural muslin and painted into a dark, rust-based world.
Click on the image to see the Drafting Package.
Click on the image to see the Design Presentation.