In his classic play Hamlet, William Shakespeare describes actors as "the abstract and brief chronicles of the time," artists whose job it is to hold a mirror up to society.

Penn State professor Steve Broadnax hopes to channel the bard's idea, albeit through the more modern medium of hip-hop theater, in the School of Theatre production Word Up!

"This, what you're going to see, is our Shakespeare," Broadnax said. "Shakespeare wrote for his voice and a voice of the people. It wasn't an elite voice, it was of the people, and that's what this show is today."

Following the last preview show at 8 p.m. Thursday, the School of Theatre will present Word Up!, beginning Friday and closing April 26, at the Playhouse Theatre.

The production, written and directed by Broadnax, is a part of a new genre, hip-hop theater, which examines hip-hop culture through many different outlets, Broadnax said.

The play, he said, explores the "political, social, economical and religious aspects that affect hip-hop," and includes in its cast a disc jockey, breakdancers, spoken word performers and graffiti artists.

"Hip-hop theater is not exclusive to those things, but this production has all of those elements," Broadnax said.

Word Up! and hip-hop theater draws inspiration from the economic effects of policies implemented in the 1980s, when the musical style originated, Broadnax said.

"It could just be about things that were affected by Reaganomics," he said. "Even though it may not have graffiti art in it or dance or emceeing in it, it's still the event that affected that generation."

The show will feature a group of dancers and a group of poets guided by an angel-like character, B-Boy All Star, to the past, present and future, similar to A Christmas Carol, Broadnax said.

Unlike Dickens' ghosts, B-Boy All Star takes the audience on a trip to debunk misconceptions about hip-hop subcultures.

Each poet represents a different hip-hop archetype, ranging from "militant brother" to "urban glam," said Clory Jackson (graduate-theatre), who plays a poet representing the "soul sister."

"Basically every archetype represents a different nuance of hip-hop," she said. "I'm the conscious, afro-centric type with the natural hair in the style of Erykah Badu or Lauryn Hill."

Alano Miller (graduate-theatre) said his character represents the "lover" archetype.

"My whole thing is definitely about respecting women and honoring who they are," he said.

The production is trying to bridge the gap between true hip-hop and the watered-down version presented in an academic setting, Miller said.

Word Up! tries to demonstrate the culture behind hip-hop and move beyond the purely aesthetic value of the genre, Jackson said.

"The whole goal of the show is to demystify what hip-hop is," Jackson said. "I think everyone's going to have something to identify with -- no matter what age they are, no matter what kind of music they like -- because the essence of hip-hop is stepping outside the norm."

The set includes only fencing and three raised platforms, which sit in front of a graffitied wall. All the curtains were removed from the Playhouse Theatre, and the lighting, wires and wings of the stage are all exposed.

Broadnax said this represents one of the universal themes of hip-hop culture.

"The concept is that hip-hop is non-apologetic, and it's not about hiding, it's about exposing truths," he said.

Besides symbolic set design, Broadnax said the actors break the fourth wall by interacting with the audience.

Aristides Nova (senior-computer engineering), for example, will get the crowd going as disc jockey for the performance, playing music before the show and during intermission.

Nova said he wants to create a party atmosphere in the theater before the show even begins.

"Hopefully, people who have different backgrounds, different age groups, will vibe together," he said.

Nova will play music as the performance continues for the 10 dancers in the cast, including Theo Lencicki (senior-musical theatre).

Lencicki said Word Up! has been a total collaborative performance because of the different types of art involved, as well as the different types of people involved in the cast.

"Everybody's working together as a unit to get the message across," he said.

The cast is made up of students both inside and outside the School of Theatre, faculty and staff members, as well as guest artists.

Broadnax said he believes hip-hop theater is a natural progression for

a type of art that has reflected

people's cultural experiences from the past.

"I think this is the future for our generation, to keep evolving theater in this newest form," he said.

Miller said Word Up! should be an accessible, innovative and personal way for the cast to reach out to the audience.

"No matter who you are," he said, "rich, poor, white or black, green, yellow, whatever you are -- some way, somehow, you are connected to someone who is affected by hip-hop."