‘What it means to be human’

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

The Northwest’s favorite theater group, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, will return to Sandpoint for a free, open-air performance of the Bard’s magnum opus, Hamlet, Friday, Aug. 15 at Lakeview Park (801 Ontario St.). Sandpoint is just one stop on the group’s 78-show tour, which brings the thrills, chills and wisdom of Shakespeare to communities across five states.

“For folks who have certain ideas about Shakespeare because they were forced to read him in school, I’d invite you to come and have a look at what a company of 11 professional actors can do to make the text clear, relevant and a lot of fun,” Assistant Artistic Director Riley O’Toole told the Reader.

Though he only recently assumed his directorial duties, O’Toole is no stranger to the world of theater. He studied acting at the University of Minnesota before joining MSP in 2016, and has gone on to serve as the company’s tour manager as well as act in 11 different productions.

This summer, he’s responsible for bringing the stage’s most famous character to life.

Actors in the Montana Shakespeare in the Parks performance of Hamlet. Photo by Shawn Raecke.

“Hamlet is a seeker,” said O’Toole. “Less than two months [before the events of the play] this is someone who was off at school at Wittenberg studying philosophy, learning about the world, being a young person and having that curiosity.

“Ultimately, at the core, he’s dealing with what it means to be human and to try to discover your individual identity and make the right choice amidst the pressure that gets put on us by circumstance and everyone and everything around us,” O’Toole added.

Like the many great actors before him who have embodied the role of the Prince of Denmark, O’Toole — in partnership with Executive Artistic Director Kevin Asselin — has sought to develop a unique take on the character. His interpretation is influenced by the unique nature of the outdoor performance, as well as the reduced two-hour production, which is limited by daylight.

“We’ve really tried to mine the comedy and mine the jester [side of] Hamlet — the Hamlet that is really seeking and asking these questions and not getting too consumed by depression,” said O’Toole.

“It’s not a reverent theater experience that we’re offering. We always joke that we’re competing with the kid in the park throwing the Frisbee with his dog,” he added.

Though O’Toole’s performance will lean into the comedic side of Hamlet’s “antic disposition,” he maintains that the powerful themes and questions that Shakespeare grappled with are what has allowed audiences to relate to the story since the 1600s.

“We still struggle with the same things people struggled with over 400 years ago — what is our individual duty and how does that collide with what we would rather be doing with our lives? What is it that’s going to get us up in the morning? What’s our purpose going to be? What is it that’s going to drive us to be what we want to be?” said O’Toole.

“To watch, to perform, to engage with one of these plays is to connect with, not only everyone around you who also struggles with love and loss and forgiveness and purpose, but to connect with the years and years of folks who came before,” he said.

For O’Toole and the rest of the actors, these affecting performances account for only a fraction of the time they dedicate to the company. In addition to all the travel time, everyone involved helps to build, repair and tear down the stage each day before heading out to engage with the local families who house them at each stop on the tour.

“Shakespeare’s really just the conduit — it’s just a piece of the real point, which is to create an opportunity for community connection,” O’Toole said.

“We’re in close contact with our audience members — every night is opening night and every night is closing night, and that brings with it all the energy and excitement of being there for one night only. I feel like I have all these great friendships scattered across our 65 communities,” he added.

That sense of connection extends from text to actor to audience member, giving everyone involved the opportunity to gather and reflect on life’s big questions while enjoying the West’s natural beauty.

“It’s about coming together to appreciate art and to take in these old words that still resonate with us,” said O’Toole. “It honors the spirit of Shakespeare — what is worth honoring — and also goes beyond that to hopefully inspire the next generation of young artists and folks that maybe don’t have many opportunities to appreciate theater.”

Visit shakespeareintheparks.org for more information about this FREE performance.