In 2021, well before the group even existed, Bright Comet Theatre's eventual co-founder Dominique Betts was preparing to direct a local production of what is arguably Shakespeare's most famous tragedy. But that show fell through, and Betts and actor Taylor Cummings, whom she'd already tapped to play the iconic lead, found themselves discussing ways to carve out their own niche in the local theater scene and maintain creative control over their shows.
"We were talking on the phone one day, and I said to Dominique, 'Why can't we do Hamlet ourselves?' The conversation just kind of spiraled from there," Cummings says.
It prompted them to apply for the Spokane Arts Grant Award funding that helped to launch Bright Comet and its very first show, Lord of the Flies.
The ax-murderer musical Lizzie followed that inaugural production as something of a "surprise," Cummings says. "And then when this year came around, it just seemed like the right time to dive into something a little more classic and get back to what we originally wanted to do."
That puts both Betts and Cummings in an interesting position. They finally get to direct or star in the play that they had previously been unable to, yet they do so now with a troupe that has two shows under its belt and is already cultivating a distinct and cohesive identity.
"It's exciting because it's something we could have done earlier, but it feels like we're established enough now that this production reflects who we are," Betts says. "We've set ourselves up to be known for intense work that is simple and direct — minimalist in its production but really packing a powerful performance. That's what we're interested in delivering."
Whereas Lizzie's run took place in the M.A.D Co-Lab Studio space, Hamlet marks Bright Comet's return to the Spokane Central Library. And similarly to Lord of the Flies, Hamlet will be akin to a black box show with, as Betts explains, "very minimal sets and costumes that aren't anything crazy."
Instead — to borrow a line from Hamlet's incredibly quotable text — the play's the thing. Collectively Bright Comet is looking to emphasize the knotty interpersonal and family relationships in Hamlet and the way mental health figures into its plot.
"If you look at it from the point of view of younger people having issues with mental health going untreated or swept under the rug, it lends this idea of, 'Oh, maybe these people are actually struggling.' Or you could look at it from the viewpoint of genuine, raw grief driving somebody to madness," Cummings says.
"I think Hamlet more than anything is asking for help and nobody's listening to him."
The creative team and cast also had talks about how they could bring added depth to roles beyond the title character. How might Claudius (played here by Claire Herrmann) be more than just a villain? What if Gertrude (Beth Lambert) had parallels with the modern "helicopter mom?"
"We didn't want Ophelia (Elisheva Miller) to be seen as this manic pixie dream girl who's only there to serve Hamlet's drive in the show, or to have Horatio (Jared Martin) just there to be Hamlet's best friend. We wanted to give all these relationships in the show meaning and weight," she says.
"We just wanted it to feel like a real family falling apart."
And yet, as Betts points out, this isn't exactly your garden variety family. This is Danish royalty whose home is quite literally their castle, and that privileged position means that, compared to ordinary people, they can have lesser or greater accountability for their actions depending on the situation.
"My take on this is exploring the transactional relationships of people who have a lot of power and what they choose to do with it — and how that ruins everything. With all of our shows, we want to explore why people act the way they do and not say whether it's right or wrong," she says.
One first for Bright Comet is the inclusion of original music in this production. Cast member Jackson McMurray, who's playing Rozencrantz, wrote an original score that will feature in different parts of the show, such as scene transitions.
However, in what's become something of a calling card for the troupe, Hamlet will not lack blood. It won't necessarily be measured in buckets as it was in Lizzie, but it will be present in what Betts describes as a "unifying" element that underscores the characters' humanity.
"It's going to get spilled at the end because all of them are crumbling at the same level," Betts says.
"There's a reason this text has such lasting power," she adds. "This story of feeling like you're out of control or the yearning for revenge is universal. This a modern take, but we're leaning into the gamut of emotions. We're leaning into the things that are really harrowing, but we're leaning into the comedy when it's funny too. There's anger. There's passion. And there's silliness."
Cummings, too, says that she's finding positivity in Hamlet, even if that stems from a deeply personal place. To her, Bright Comet's current staging is a sign of just how far they've come since those days when the play was placed just out of reach.
"This show meant so much to us at the time because we were kind of struggling through life," she says, noting that the "sad and moody angst" resonated with her and Betts back then.
"Now that both Dominique and I are in a better place in our lives, it's still fascinating to be doing [Hamlet]. It's a pivotal moment for us to look back and see where we are now and how much our lives have improved." ♦
Hamlet • March 8-17; Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 5 pm • $20 • Spokane Central Library • 906 W. Main Ave. • brightcomettheatre.com
