Among the most quoted words from Hamlet ― and indeed Shakespeare’s entire body of work ― is the phrase, “The play’s the thing.” Appearing at the end of Act II, Scene 2, the phrase refers to Hamlet’s plan to stage a play dramatizing the murder of his father. Longing to provoke a confession of guilt from his murderous uncle Claudio, the young prince declares: “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”
Considered within the context of Hamlet’s obsession with avenging his father’s death, the quotation speaks to both ingenuity and desperation. Yet in itself, “the play’s the thing” has entered popular culture as a means of expressing the importance of the theatrical experience.
That is certainly how we used it in our SFOC productions. It became a statement of purpose both when we talked about the possibilities for a future production – “Remember, the play’s the thing!” ― as well as in those more intensive periods of behind-the-scenes preparation. Whenever one of our young actors came to rehearsals without knowing their lines, the rest of the troupe would chorus, “The play’s the thing!”
Minor questions about such things as costume details (or who had the bigger part), were often resolved with a gentle reminder that these personal issues had little place in the production itself. After all . . . “the play’s the thing.” Parents and teachers know well how hard it can be to impress upon children a sense of responsibility. What “the play’s the thing” offered to our performers was a means of expressing the importance of coming together to serve a greater purpose ― and, at the same time, understanding the privilege of doing so.