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"The Search for Truth" in HAMLET: Act 2, Scenes 1-2(a). Week 3 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

Release Date: 07/21/2026

"Navigating the Madness" in HAMLET: Act 2, Scene 2 (b). Week 2 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ Diving deeper into Polonius as he navigates the complexities of Hamlet's madness ➤ The dynamics between Gertrude, Claudius, and Polonius as they discuss Hamlet ➤ Unpacking the implications of love, obedience, and parental control in the relationships   Welcome back to The Rehearsal Room for this season (10!) as we continue our HAMLET Project.  📷 cover photo: Jessica Gibbons --- 🛑 SUBSCRIBE to get notified of our next rehearsal session. *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space...

info_outline "Polonius' Perceptions" - The HAMLET Project: Act 2, Scene 2 (part b) - Week 1

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ Diving into Polonius' character as he navigates his role in the royal court ➤ Exploring the dynamics between Hamlet, Ophelia, and their families ➤ Analyzing the implications of madness and love in the play   Welcome back to The Rehearsal Room for this season (10!) as we continue our HAMLET Project.  📷 cover photo: Ben Farrow --- 🛑 SUBSCRIBE to get notified of our next rehearsal session. *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality.*** 🙌 Many...

info_outline "The Art of Spying" in The HAMLET Project: Act 2, Scenes 1-2 (a). Final Week - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ Analyzing Polonius' instructions for spying on Laertes ➤ Ophelia's alarming encounter that leaves her frightened and confused ➤ Claudius' maneuvering about the threat posed by Fortinbras   Welcome back to The Rehearsal Room for this season (10!) as we continue our HAMLET Project.  📷 cover photo: Nick Bettens --- 🛑 SUBSCRIBE to get notified of our next rehearsal session. *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality.*** 🙌 Many thanks to our recent...

info_outline "The Search for Truth" in HAMLET: Act 2, Scenes 1-2(a). Week 3 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ Meeting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's friends with a secret mission ➤ Exploring Polonius' reaction to the description of Hamlet's strange behavior ➤ Analyzing Claudius' and Gertrude's responses to Hamlet's madness   Welcome back to The Rehearsal Room for this season (10!) as we continue our HAMLET Project. 📷 cover photo: Elizabeth Swain --- 🛑 SUBSCRIBE to get notified of our next rehearsal session. *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality.***...

info_outline "Love and Madness" in HAMLET: Act 2, Scenes 1-2(a). Week 2 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

Welcome back to The Rehearsal Room for this season (10!) as we continue our HAMLET Project. --- 🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ Diving deeper into the relationships introduced in Act 1 ➤ Exploring Polonius' nature as he instructs Reynaldo to spy on Laertes ➤ Ophelia's emotional turmoil as she describes her encounter with Hamlet cover photo: Sharon McCune --- 🛑 SUBSCRIBE to get notified of our next rehearsal session. *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality.*** 🙌 Many thanks to our...

info_outline "From Grief to Action" in HAMLET: Act 2, Scenes 1-2(a). Week 1 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

Welcome back to The Rehearsal Room as we kick off Act 2 of our HAMLET Project in SEASON 10 🙌, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. New sessions are still being produced; we recently crossed one year working on this play and are about to begin Act 4. Yes, a LOT happens in Acts 2 and 3. 😉 For this month, we'll look at Act 2, Sc 1, and then Act 2, Sc 2 (descriptions below) - and scene 2 has so much going on, we spent multiple months on it, hence the "part a". --- 🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ The transition into Act 2 as we...

info_outline "Sworn to Silence" in HAMLET: Act 1, Sc 5. Final Session - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ The tension and intrigue that fill Hamlet's encounter with the Ghost ➤ Exploring the themes of secrecy and trust as Hamlet asks his friends to swear silence ➤ Hamlet's emotional journey as he grapples with these revelations We continue with The HAMLET Project, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. To our knowledge, this is the first long-form, open rehearsal of this play available online! So yes, something new with Shakespeare. 😁 *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy;...

info_outline "A Son's Oath" in HAMLET: Act 1, Sc 5. Week 2 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ Hamlet's emotional journey following his encounter with the Ghost ➤ The complexities of the Ghost's character and his impact on Hamlet ➤ Exploring how Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus navigate the revelations We continue with The HAMLET Project, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. To our knowledge, this is the first long-form, open rehearsal of this play available online! So yes, something new with Shakespeare. 😁 *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us...

info_outline "A Father's Plea" in HAMLET: Act 1, Sc 5. Week 1 - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ Exploring the complex relationship between Hamlet and the Ghost ➤ Insights into the Ghost's motivations and emotional turmoil ➤ The implications of revenge and Hamlet's moral dilemmas We continue with The HAMLET Project, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. To our knowledge, this is the first long-form, open rehearsal of this play available online! So yes, something new with Shakespeare. 😁 *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space...

info_outline "The Journey Begins" in HAMLET: Act 1, Sc 3-4. Final Session - Shakespeare | The Rehearsal Room

The Working Actor's Journey

🏁 In this session, highlights include: ➤ A deep examination of the dynamics between Hamlet, Horatio, and the Ghost ➤ Insights into Polonius’ role and his influence on Ophelia and Laertes ➤ How Ophelia is often misrepresented in traditional interpretations We continue with The HAMLET Project, where we explore one scene (or section) of Shakespeare's Hamlet - one month at a time. To our knowledge, this is the first long-form, open rehearsal of this play available online! So yes, something new with Shakespeare. 😁 *** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your...

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More Episodes

🏁 In this session, highlights include:

➤ Meeting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's friends with a secret mission

➤ Exploring Polonius' reaction to the description of Hamlet's strange behavior

➤ Analyzing Claudius' and Gertrude's responses to Hamlet's madness

 

Welcome back to The Rehearsal Room for this season (10!) as we continue our HAMLET Project.

📷 cover photo: Elizabeth Swain

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🛑 SUBSCRIBE to get notified of our next rehearsal session.

*** These sessions are free for all to enjoy; your support helps us keep this space creative, accessible, and high-quality.***

🙌 Many thanks to our recent supporters! Help us continue our work in the Rehearsal Room through a ONE-TIME DONATION:

🤗 Or become a MONTHLY PATRON with additional benefits (starting at $5/month) with Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast

Get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more!

🙏 THANK YOU to our patrons at the Co-Star level and higher: Sandy, Joan, Michele, Jim, Magdalen, Claudia, Clif, and Jeff!

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🎭 CREATIVE TEAM for this month:

DIRECTOR: Annie Occhiogrosso

ACTORS: Randall Duk Kim, Benjamin Reigel, Nick Bettens, Michele Schultz, Liz Swain, Sarah Mabes, Jim Stubbs, Terry Kerr, Steven Helmeke and Sharon McCune

AUDIENCE: Sandy Robbins, Sandy Ernst, Laurie Strother, Doug Strother, Charles Stransky, Frank Tobin, Cindy Griffith, Rebecca Oettinger, Alexandra Mitchell, Roseann Sheridan, Val Lantz-Gefroh, Chris Chinn, Robert Duerr, Celine Noguiera, Adriana Roze, Ben Farrow, Jessica Gibbons, Aaron Mendelson and Sara Giacomini.

A big welcome to the many new participants with this project!

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We explore...

  • Act 2, Scene 1: Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to Paris to question Laertes’s acquaintances. Ophelia enters, deeply disturbed about a visit she has just had from an apparently mad Hamlet.

  • Act 2, Scene 2: Claudius and Gertrude set Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two boyhood friends of Hamlet, to spy on him. As Hamlet and his "friends" talk, a company of touring actors enters and Hamlet persuades one of them to deliver a speech. Hamlet hopes that when the players stage their show for the court, he can determine whether Claudius is guilty of King Hamlet’s death.

The links above will take you to the Folio version, which we use heavily here.

 

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