What happens when you have a talented group of thriving actors living in a home in Brooklyn with an empty backyard? Their ambition and creativity takes over and they all decide to put on a play.

With the aid of some old classmates from conservatory, five roommates are using their backyard to put on "Hamlet" as you've never seen it before.  These highly trained actors have worked professionally since graduation but the industry has it's up and downs and sometimes you've got to make it happen on your own.  With wine included in the $10 ticket price, it's sure to be a "Hamlet" you won't forget.

StageBuddy got a chance to speak with acting producer Michael Ryan Neely (who also plays Hamlet) to talk about rehearsal, collaboration and owning the space.

StageBuddy: What was the inspiration behind putting up this production in your backyard?

Michael Ryan Neely: Inspiration to do this was a couple of things.  There are a lot of people who graduate from acting school, and find that the opportunities that are present aren't what you hoped they would be.  And there are a lot of people who want to work. So we thought: why not do our own work?  We have a space in Brooklyn, our backyard, which is a great natural performance space. I had wanted to play the role of Hamlet for a long time and I talked to my roommate Christopher Sears (Director) about it and wondered if this was something we could put on together -- and a lot of people were really up for putting on a good Shakespeare show and putting it on in our backyard.  The inspiration was a desire to work, a willingness to collaborate and create something on our own merit.

SB: What was the rehearsal process like?

MRN: We all met for a first read, did table work to examine and play, then put the scenes on their feet.  The difficulty working on theater with no guaranteed pay is having to work around everyone's schedules, so we had a long rehearsal process and ramped it up in the last three weeks before performance.  We would rehearse weird hours -- we had a tech from 7pm to 3 in the morning.  We work whenever we can because a lot of us live together.  All of the actors took on other roles, from lighting to scenic design.  We've redone our garden, creating amphitheater seating.  Everyone pitched in to bring this project to life.

SB: What's different about your production of "Hamlet"?

MRN: Every production of "Hamlet" is going to be different because of the people you have involved.  What makes ours different also is that we are collaborating on this.  We can't hide the fact that it's in a backyard in Bushwick.  In fact, we use that to our advantage.  We use the architecture of the space, the fire escape, an empty lot and broken case on the fence and all sorts of things that are environmentally around us.  We adapt to the space.  We take what's there and we use what's around us to make our own vision.  And we've all worked together as a company for a number of years, we know each others habits and styles, we have a working relationship that helps us create a show where all the actors and director are in synch.

(This article has been edited and condensed.)

Reservations for the show can be made at BackyardHamlet@gmail.com