This above all: to thine own self be true.
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is a tragedy written in five acts by William Shakespeare. Written sometime in 1599, it is still performed on the world stage, some sticking to the text while others bringing out brilliant adaptations. It is also considered as an excellent piece of literature and that is an aspect which Drama Queens, a theatre group in Pune, is determined to highlight through their session on Hamlet titled Between the Lines.
 
Isha Pungaliya of the Drama Queens says that they have come up with this concept to initiate an English Theatre movement. “We have invited Arun Bhagwat, a guest lecturer of English Literature at Savitribai Phule Pune University, to speak on Hamlet, to analyse it. We will also be performing certain scenes from the play to explain how the text is rendered. This would be followed by a Q and A session with the audience,” says Pungaliya.
 
Bhagwat, who previously taught at SP College and then at Flames University, would be focussing on comparisons between Hamlet and Arjun. He has also requested the artists to enact scenes between Hamlet and the two women in the play — Gertrude and Ophelia. 

Pungaliya adds that they are hoping to have at least three or four such Between the Lines sessions in a year. “We decided to have the first session on Hamlet because we have staged the play earlier and we thought it would be easier for us to combine both the talk and the performance. We are also exploring modernists and post-modernist writing. We have also been reading Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq, so that could be our next session,” adds Pungaliya. The first Between the Lines session would be held on February 9.
 
When asked if they would be open to someone from the audience enacting the scenes, the artists replies, “You need to know the lines if you want to perform. If there is someone from the audience who knows the lines and wants to try something out in the discussion time, I don’t think we will stop them from doing that. The point of this event is to create an atmosphere and interest around theatre and essentially create a movement around theatre. And, for that, we want the audiences to be equal stake-holders. If an audience member wants to try something out, connect with what we are doing and if they have a different perspective, of looking at a text, yes, we will be absolutely okay.” 

ST Reader Service 
Attend the Between the Lines session on Hamlet on February 9, 5 pm onwards at Lokayat Hall, third floor, Law College Road