Considering the large commitment it takes to orchestrate a play, one might assume that nearly all students involved in Tufts theater must be drama majors. After all, who wouldn't want school credit for all those long hours?
Defying that assumption is Tucker Delaney-Winn, a senior child development major who has spent the past year-and-a-half slowly dreaming up a rap musical in his spare time, purely for the love of writing songs and rapping. His efforts are finally coming to fruition.
"Hamlet, the Hip-Hopera," sponsored by Pen, Paint, & Pretzels (3Ps) and Torn Ticket II, promises to be a musical unlike any other to grace Balch Arena Theater. Written half-dreamingly during Delaney-Winn's semester abroad in Spain, then more seriously last semester with the help of Bare Bodkin, the fully-formed production will be hitting the stage Nov. 21.
Delaney-Winn is no stranger of the stage: He has previously acted at Tufts, including 3Ps "Fables for Friends" earlier this semester. He has also had an interest in writing lyrics since his early high school years and has used rapping as a means to express his creativity without the vocal demands of traditional singing.
This semester, Delaney-Winn has finally managed to combine his love for music with his Tufts experience. He hopes "Hamlet, the Hip-Hopera" will be filmed and distributed to teachers as a teaching aid to get young students interested in reading Shakespeare.
Artistic and heart-warming — what's not to love?
