Admission Essay for UC Berkeley: Middle Schoolers Perform "Hamlet"

Endeavoring to produce a semi-professional performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet may seem challenging to a small class of eighth graders in suburban southern California in 1994, an epoch and a hemisphere away from the Bard.  But what we accomplished as a class and theatrical troupe in the holiday months of that year defied the expectations of our parents, our teachers, and our unassuming selves.

The drama began after the kids of St. James Academy returned from an exhausting summer playing at the beach, attending summer camps for the first time, and basically enjoying themselves.  I had spent a couple of weeks at Solana Beach Junior Lifeguards learning the essentials of safe oceangoing and water play, and meeting new friends.  But I was excited to see  my closest friends at school in September, and particularly thrilled that I and my cronies were the new kings of the playground (akin to masters of the universe for us). Surprisingly, this enthusiasm carried through all year, which had an inverse effect on the sentiments of our teachers.  Nevertheless, our English teacher Mrs. McWhirter appreciated our youthful energy and wanted to harness it into a creative outlet.  

Mrs. McWhirter had been leading her class in the production of Hamlet for over a decade, and her kids had always risen to the occasion.  I had watched it the year before, and though I understood little, I was enormously impressed with the depth of the kids’ understanding of their characters.  They had to relay the story entirely through their expressions, voice intonations, and physical actions, because the primary audience (the parents) was so pleased with the roles their kids were playing that they payed little attention to the actual plot.  I specifically remember that Paul, the boy who played Hamlet, was confident, clear-spoken, and expressive, traits that very rarely characterize an eighth grader.

Those kids had departed into the abyss of high school, and now it was our turn to shine.  Casting came first, and I knew what I wanted.  Hamlet was the role for me, if only because no one else wanted the incredible responsibilities of Shakepeare’s largest role.  My good friend Michael Alfred played Horatio; my other good friend Rick Usher played Polonius; and Karissa Adame, a girlfriend of mine, played Claudius.  Also, by a stroke of luck, a beautiful blonde and friend of mine, Sandi Fouts, played Ophelia.

We began by giving the entire play a read-through.  We studied the plot, themes, relationships between the characters, and the intricacies of Shakespeare’s Elizabethan language.

This done, we began to rehearse scenes, though not from memory.  This was a very rough and frustrating time because I was not fully grasping the meaning of my lines.  I often spoke in a monotone, and at times I feigned an English accent, which was a disaster.  I retreated to the Carmel Valley Library in hopes of some direction, and what I found was immeasurably helpful.

A book on the physical aspects of acting helped me to relax my body and facial muscles and streamline my movements on stage.  Its breathing techniques also helped me to deliver my lines without noticeable pauses.  The other books I chose were criticisms, evaluations, and introspections into the character of Hamlet.  These pieces helped me to understand the intense psychological dilemmas that define Hamlet’s character, and they instilled in my brain an awe of him whom I was to portray.  I did not necessarily become Hamlet after reading the many essays on his character; I don’t even know whether an eighth-grader is capable of reaching a profound 

          Topic B

understanding of Hamlet.  But after reviewing these many writings, giving a genuine and heartfelt performance of his character became important to me.  I was going to do my best because I liked Hamlet.

I rented many of the different incarnations of Hamlet (including Laurence Olivier’s, my favorite, and Mel Gibson’s, not exactly my favorite).  I also unearthed a recording of Sir John Gielgud’s performance on record, a find that influenced my acting more than anything other source.  At this point I was not a little intimidated, but I knew that no literary critics would be professionally evaluating our production.  Still, I derived a further sense of professionalism from Sir John.

At school rehearsals improved as I grew more confident in my role.  I memorized my lines by recording them on tape and walking my dog for hours while listening to the tape.  It proved effective, as I mastered over 6,500 words, and understood the majority of them.

Two weeks before the play Mrs. McWhirter unveiled to me my costume.  It looked to me like the uniform of one of Santa’s elves, with flowing green and red sleeves and velvet green knickers.  Not quite the brooding black I had in mind.  But I did finagle a large black cape that covered the silly thing and made my costume look much more morose.  The day of the play was approaching and we rehearsed and rehearsed.

Rick Usher, or Polonius, was one of the main problems.  He was a good actor, but he jumbled and forgot his lines in all my scenes with him.  When he gave the fatherly advice to his son Laertes I don’t think Rick knew to tell Laertes to be true to “thine own self” or the guy next door.  But Rick feared his mom above all, and when she got involved the problem suddenly was solved.    

From there all went smoothly and we gave our first performance to the school on Friday afternoon.  The other kids were glad to see their older friends on stage, but I don’t think they knew what we were talking about.  They did get a laugh when I was wandering around in costume outside for about two minutes while the entire audience was waiting inside for me to give my “To be or not to be” speech.  No problem.  Miscues happen.  The evening performance was a success, and I did very well.  Lying quietly in Horatio’s (Mike’s) arms at the end of the play as the rest of the cast lay dead on stage, my spirit was exalted.  I was so happy with what I had done and with what my friends had done.  We had successfully performed one of the most revered dramas in existence, and we had a good time doing it.

I have not acted since.  The intense dedication of high school drama coupled with the smaller roles (what could compare to Hamlet?) have never compelled me to participate again.  I have sought such gratification in other ways, such as with the success of the surf team or the production of a solid newspaper.  I do treasure the memory, and I am so grateful that I was able to participate in this formative experience.