Hip Hop Hamlet at 75th season of OSF

From: Dmae Roberts
Length: 04:55

Oregon Shakespeare Festival kicks off its 75th season with a fresh take on Hamlet. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Hip Hop Hamlet at 75th season of OSF
From: Dmae Roberts

Hamlet_2_dc_1484_gallery_small

One of the largest regional theatres in the country is located in a small college town. The Tony-award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival started off as outdoor summer theatre back in 1935. Now its budget hovers around $27 million dollars. And while nonprofit theatres struggle in hard times, OSF finished last season in the black. Dmae Roberts talked with Artistic Director Bill Rauch, Actor Anthony Heald, Exeuctive Director Paul Nicholson and several theatre-goers about what makes this theatre company a success. This piece features a modern "Hamlet" with a hip hop beat.

This 5 minute piece originally aired on NPR's Sunday Edition.

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Piece Description

One of the largest regional theatres in the country is located in a small college town. The Tony-award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival started off as outdoor summer theatre back in 1935. Now its budget hovers around $27 million dollars. And while nonprofit theatres struggle in hard times, OSF finished last season in the black. Dmae Roberts talked with Artistic Director Bill Rauch, Actor Anthony Heald, Exeuctive Director Paul Nicholson and several theatre-goers about what makes this theatre company a success. This piece features a modern "Hamlet" with a hip hop beat.

This 5 minute piece originally aired on NPR's Sunday Edition.

Broadcast History

Aired originally on NPR's Sunday Edition

Transcript

FADE UP: lobby ambience

DMAE TRAX 1: In the lobby of the large indoor theatre at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, folks are already talking about this “new” version of Hamlet. Rae and Bill Salzstein from Woodinville, Washington, just outside of Seattle, drove all day to get here.

RAE SALTZSTEIN-1: We come every year. We see all the plays and we actually have a place here now…(:04)

DMAE TRAX 2: The Salsteins, like many theatre lovers, make this pilgrimage several times a year. They started over 26 years ago and say they want to retire here.

RAE SALTZSTEIN-2: We always see a high caliber of show here. We come here because we like the company—we like what they’re doing, trying to integrate some classics from other cultures and also seeing some of the classics in interesting interpretations. (:13)

FADE UP: Sound of Hamlet starting – Hip Hop Music – BRING UNDER

DMAE TRAX 3: What makes...
Read the full transcript