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Stuart Harris is an Englishman now living in California. He is a computer professional, an expert on IRC and has written a book on the subject, entitled "IRC Survival Guide: Talk to the World with Internet Relay Chat" ^[1]. He is also a former performer; with three years experience as a semi-professional actor on the festival circuit, two years as a professional in London and in provincial repertory theatre, and further experience as a director in television. The aforementioned extensive cross-disciplinary experience motivated Harris to explore the potential of creating a Shakespeare performance online; namely, a contemporary production of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The Hamnet Players introduced Harris' idea of internet-based theatre on 12th December 1993 in their performance of the 80-line script adaption, "Hamnet"; and the production was repeated 2 months later on 6th February 1994, featuring the Royal Shakespeare Company's Ian Taylor as the principle character. Following this, a follow-up performance entitled "PCbeth: an IBM clone of Macbeth" was created, coincidentally world premiering on the date of stimulus playwright Shakespeare's 430th birthday; 23rd April 1994. PCbeth consisted of a 160-line pastiche, which instigated the virtually performative use of images via JPEG files offered to participants with the capability to receive and exhibit them. The production was restaged on 10th July 1994; accomodating VIP guest stars and several audio effects.

Following the success of the above performances Hamnet Plsyers migrated from Shakespearian stimuli, instead opting to adapt American playwright Tennessee William's "A Streetcar Named Desire" into the contemporary IRC- revised version "An IRC Channel Named Desire". The production was once again staged twice: on 30th October 1994, then 12th February 1995.

Use of the termThe Hamnet Players ^[2] suggests Stuart Harris' intention was to create a virtual repertory theatre company, which would become steadily more established over the course of time, and several productions. However; although Harris found it beneficial to cast several regular virtual actors, who formed the foundations of the Players, and supported its intentions; the collaboration better resembled an ever-expanding and interchanging assemblage of enthusiasts than one perpetually definite troupe. As such, The Hamlet Players generally experience frequent cast turnovers.

Originally founded in 1993, the online company's name resonates culturally in several ways; relating not simply to the clear play on the original script's title of Hamlet, but; additionally, to the colloquial English term for an overzealous actor- a "ham". Stuart Harris in addition considered the potential "mixed reality" performance's wide possible levels of audience accessibility, regardless of financial or locational constraints; because the name "Hamnet Players" can also be linked to the term "pirate" or "ham" radio: unregulated channels of radio communication(made popular in the western world in the 1950's and 60's), operated by amateur broadcasters outside of the legal broadcast network; consequently enabling Hamnet's staging to also be linked to contemporary "hacker culture". The basis of IRC has all the foundations for any performance- users can choose the name by which they want to be known, and there are many hundreds of thousands of users who choose not to chat but to simply watch and read what goes on. Therefore using character names such as “Ophelia” and “Hamlet”, as well as using HTML actions, gives the potential to introduce a very considerable alternative to traditional live performance platforms . The Players' audience tended to be of a relatively modest-sized " niche" crowd: although the "obscene pastiche(reference) the company created proved very successful with experienced IRC users, it is possible the proliferation of inside jokes and internet-based vernacular in Harris' performance scripts would sligtly alienate audience members unaccustomed with the genre.

Stuart Harris' intention for development of The Hamnet Players' work was to ulitmately create web-based formats of every stage of theatrical production, in addition to performance; including casting calls, auditions and callbacks; the entire rehearsal process; marketing and production critique.

Live or mediated performance is based on the idea that Mediated performance is one that is recorded or broadcast. The technique used by the Hamnet Players, initiated by Stuart Harris, is that each of the cast's script lines are number and no one has the full script apart from the production team. In this way, not even the players fully know what will unfold until the live chat performance. ^[3]

Stuart Harris drew on his experience of IRC to create a virtual theatre company focused on creating "mixed reality" cyberperformance. One of the advantages of performing entirely online was the ability for company members to be in cross-country or even internationally varied locations simultaneously- members could rehearse at any time, from anywhere. Following around a year of online experimentation, and directed by Harris, the cybertheatre company performed a contemporary script-based version of Shakespeare's Hamlet specifically adapted for IRC in December 1993. Broadcast from an IRC channel based in San Diego, the production appeared on computer screens across the world; and was performed for a second time in February with RSC member Ian Taylor as the principal character. The usual script-based format of IRC, and its use of dialogue as the primary communication method, present the facility as an ideal platform for performing text-based drama experimentally. The online potential for spontaneity and improvisation was both realised and cursed, however, when a bot unintentionally killed Hamlet halfway through the production. Mary L. Anglin ^[4]

Stuart Harris' artistic exploration via IRC was succeeded by similar cyberperformance groups inspired by his project. These include:

• The Plaintext Players (founded by Antoinette LaFarge): performed in MOO's and mixed reality spaces. Earliest performance: "Xmas" (1994)

• ParkBench(Nina Sobell; Emily Hartzell): collaborative performance and artwork space, incorporating live video with a web browser UI( User Interface) (1994)

• Desktop Theatre (Adriene Jenik; Lisa Brennies): waitingforgodot.com (1997)

• Avatar Body Collision (Helen Varley Jamieson; Karl Ptacek; Vicki Smith; Leena Saarinen): Online performance collaboration featuring use of internet-based cyberperformance software programme "UpStage" (2002)

Headings :

Personal Biography

Acting Career

Harris' Aims and Objectives( on creation of The Hamnet Players)

Further Potential Developments

(Images)

A link to the 2nd performance transcript of hamnet : <http://www.hambule.co.uk/hamnet/h2log.htm>

A link to the hamnet players performance of "an irc channel named #desire" <http://www.hambule.co.uk/hamnet/d1log.htm>