WHICH IS THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOUR PRODUCTION?

What is it about Ophelia? First brought to life in the 15^th century Neapolitan poem Arcadia by Shakespeare influencer Jacopo Sannazaro, the name and its characterization has survived into present pop culture with The Lumineers’ 2016 song Ophelia and numerous film and theatre adaptations of the character. As a baby girl’s name, it ranks 272 out of the top 1,000 and has been steadily increasing in popularity since 2017. Often associated with the tragic heroine of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Greek origin of the name means “aid” or “benefit” and its simple beauty has conjured the image of a caregiver and nurturer.

It is no surprise then that the name should be popular in theater titles and utilized as a metaphorical aid in a playwright’s vision of their work. Three popular titles from our collection of outstanding plays are examples. Ophelia Chooses, Ophelia Lives!, and Drowning Ophelia, each bring Shakespeare’s character to bring a new twist on a classic theater character.

In Ophelia Chooses, playwright and feminist Fay mysteriously enters the world of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to right the wrongs suffered by the character Ophelia. Using a mix of Shakespeare’s line, some new iambic pentameter, and modern vernacular, Ophelia discovers her opportunity to grow as a woman. Ophelia becomes the architect of her own fate as she learns to stand up to those who would control her, including friends and foes (both classic and modern). She even ultimately confronts the Immortal Bard himself, revealing the short shrift given many heroines of literature and the complexities faced by modern women.

Playwright Buddy White’s 70-minute, eight-character play has been produced at Zeider’s American Dream Theater and is a perfect choice for high school, college, and regional productions.

The shorter one-act play for teens, Ophelia Lives!, deals honestly and openly with depression and suicidal impulses among teens.  Set backstage in a high school theater, a high school drama class is rehearsing Hamlet and personal issues—cutting, eating disorders, and low self-esteem—that are seldom discussed, begin to emerge after the teacher discovers a suicide note. This play, considered perfect for middle-school and high school audiences, toured for over twenty performances by the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, California. The playwright Gillette Elvgren has written many plays for teenagers and family and has over 8,000 performances of his work. Ophelia Lives! is an important and topical play for our youth who must navigate the increasingly complex issues of the day.

The last Ophelia play, Drowning Ophelia, featured in our March ____ 2024 blog entry, is the creation of the talented Rachel Luann Strayer. The multi-produced work across the United States and Canada, tells the story of Jane’s bathtub. She finds it inhabited by a strange, Shakespearean woman whose enigmatic commentary intrudes on Jane’s thoughts and her new romantic relationship. This dark comedy about the long-term consequences of childhood abuse brilliantly balances the world Jane lives in with the inner turmoil she encounters through the Ophelia in her tub, a metaphorical alter-ego for her younger abused self. This 90-minute four-person play has been an award-winning collegiate production and popular choice among college and professional theaters.

The mystery and beauty of the Ophelia character continues in modern theater. Her soul is resurrected to alternately be guided, galvanized, and confronted in these incredible works.