Months of memorizing and rehearsing have gone into this moment. The lights in the performing arts center go down, silencing the audience as the actors move into their positions. At last, the stage light beams down on them and they begin.

On Nov. 22, 23 and 24, the Blue Valley Southwest theater department will be having their first main stage production of the year. This year they will be performing Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a classic drama with a modern twist. Not only will the actors be wearing modern dress, but certain roles in the show have been switched from male to female.

“One of the biggest changes is having Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend, become Horatia, Hamlet’s best friend slash love interest,” junior Erica Christie said. “Right from the beginning we knew it was going to be a different dynamic because obviously a guy-girl friendship is different from a guy-guy one. We haven’t changed the language up, so Caleb [Jenkins] and I really have to convey the relationship to the audience.”

Aside from the changing relationships in the show, there will be other reasons for the audience to remember this year’s production of Hamlet long after the final curtain closes.

“I think that [the changes] make the play a little more accessible to the audiences of today, particularly a teenage audience,” English teacher Shauna Rhinearson said. “I think that by changing some of the genders and keeping the costumes contemporary, it does seem very fitting for today even though the language is very archaic to our ears.”

But in order to have such a memorable show, the cast and crew has had to work harder than they have in past shows to make Hamlet the best it can be.

“This show is so much harder than Romeo and Juliet ever was,” director Dan Schmidt said. “This is really hard. It’s a little longer, but the length isn’t the most difficult part, it’s maintaining the energy physically and mentally that’s difficult for almost every actor involved.”

Despite the demanding nature of the show, cast members are enthusiastic about their unique interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s best known works.

“It’s a unique interpretation of Hamlet,” junior Amanda Miller said. “There have been and will be lots of different productions of it, but ours is our own, one that is unique to BVSW, and you’ll never see a version that is just like ours. From the gender of the characters, to the costumes, or to our set, lights, sound and more, this production really is a special one.”