Hamlet 1969

Dana Marschz is a former actor and recovering alcoholic who works as a high school drama teacher in Tucson, Arizona. Despite his passion for inspiring students, he mostly struggles with a limited group of passionate followers, primarily Rand Posin and Epiphany Sellars, and a history of producing poorly received school plays that tend to be adaptations of popular Hollywood movies. His latest production was a stage rendition of Erin Brockovich. When a new school year begins, a fresh batch of students transfer into his class due to budget cuts that leave only the arts elective remaining. These new students, who are generally disinterested and dismissive of Dana’s efforts, quickly come into conflict with him, especially with a student named Octavio, creating tension in the classroom.

Things take a turn when Principal Rocker informs Dana that the school’s drama program is slated for shutdown at the end of the semester. Determined to rally his students, Dana decides to write and produce an original play. His ambitious project is a sequel to Hamlet, where the story includes time travel to prevent the tragic deaths of the main characters, along with new, provocative content. Among the most controversial elements is a character based on Jesus Christ, portrayed in a lively song-and-dance number called “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”. As the students begin warming up to this creative venture, their enthusiasm grows, but tensions rise when Rand, cast as a bi-curious Laertes, is overshadowed by Octavio, who plays Hamlet. Frustrated, Rand storms out and hands the script over to Principal Rocker, who orders Dana to halt the production entirely.

Adding to Dana’s difficulties, his personal life is unraveling—his wife, Brie, leaves him for a boring but fertile boarder named Gary, whom they had taken in to help financially, revealing that Dana himself is infertile. These events send Dana into despair, leading him to relapse into drinking and even attempt to abandon the play altogether. Nevertheless, his students rally around him, organizing an underground production in an abandoned warehouse, complete with technical help and security provided by the high school’s football and wrestling teams. Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the play intensifies when fanatical ACLU activist Cricket Feldstein promotes the project as a threat to civil liberties.

Despite initial setbacks and protests—some audience members infiltrate the show to stage protests—the play eventually opens to a packed house, including a critic from The New York Times. Rand returns to the production, apologizing for his earlier departure, and Dana kindly allows him to resume his role as Laertes.

The play itself receives a mixed reception at first, mainly because of its controversial content and its humorous, sometimes chaotic reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Much of the story involves characters using time travel to reconcile their troubled relationships with their fathers, ultimately culminating in both Hamlet and Jesus forgiving their fathers for past wrongs. As the show progresses, it gradually wins over the audience, despite protests and initial skepticism. Dana’s passion and the students’ dedication help turn the production into a success.

The story concludes with Dana—and his favorite actress, Elisabeth Shue—who he is now dating—meeting with the cast and crew to prepare for a Broadway opening. The production features original cast members, and the film ends on a hopeful note about creativity, perseverance, and the power of art to challenge societal norms and inspire change.