June 29, 2020

White Dog came in to where I sat working. She had Opal in tow. "Momma, tell Opal I WAS too a Shakespearean actress in Los Angeles in the Festival in the Park!" Opal looked skeptical.

"It is true," I said to Opal. "White Dog was an only child then and we went to The City of Angeles for a vacation trip. Your sister was VERY young. She played a surprise part in Hamlet."

I gathered both girls onto the bed where I sat. "I have a GREAT idea," I said looking at White Dog. "You could reprise your role and the White Dog Army could all help restage that famous scene in 'Hamlet.' Every pup is bored and it might be fun to do a WDA production. Everyone can get a chance to be a star. What do you think?"

White Dog was already making notes on her clipboard. "I will direct and reprise my role as the ghost. Opal, let's gather the troops and audition everyone to see who will play." I pulled my copy of the Shakespeare plays from the shelf and opened it to the play. "This is a list of characters," I told them. "If it will help you all choose, I will read the play to everyone this afternoon." My suggestion was met with wags.

• Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark; he is son to the late King Hamlet; and nephew to the present King Claudius.
• The Ghost appears in the image of Hamlet's father, the late King Hamlet (Old Hamlet).
• Polonius ("Corambis" in "Q1") is Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes.
• Laertes is the son of Polonius, and has returned to Elsinore from Paris.
• Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, and Laertes's sister, who lives with her father at Elsinore. She is in love with Hamlet.
• Horatio is a good friend of Hamlet, from the university at Wittenberg, who came to Elsinore Castle to attend King Hamlet's funeral.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are childhood friends and schoolmates of Hamlet, who were summoned to Elsinore by Claudius and Gertrude..
• Marcellus, Bernardo (or Barnardo) and Francisco are sentries at Elsinore. Francisco gives up his watch to Bernardo in the opening of the play, and it is Bernardo and Marcellus, who first alert Horatio to the appearance of King Hamlet's Ghost.^[2] Marcellus goes with Horatio to tell Hamlet about the Ghost's appearance.^[3] Marcellus is the most prominent of the three.^[4]

It was a full room to hear my reading. "I won't do different voices, so do not ask," I began. "I am so excited that everyone wants to participate. Opal has made copies of the character list so you can make your own notes as you think about who will take each role. There may be a need for some of you to play more than one role because of the Army's limited size; or you can invite friends to help. Also, think about costumes and what we will need for sets. The version in LA was pretty minimal, set in a park and everyone wore modern clothes. Except for crowns and maybe swords you could do a nude version. Things to think about. Ready to begin?"

Sparkling eyes met mine and I know we just might have found a cure for lockdown summer ennui.