Hamlet by William Shakespeare at Actors' Shakespeare Project

Under the direction of Resident Acting Company (RAC) member Doug Lockwood, HAMLET, featuring members Omar Robinson* (Hamlet), Marianna Bassham* (Gertrude), and Richard Snee* (Polonius) will run October 5 - November 6, 2016 at The Church of the Covenant, 67 Newbury Street, Back Bay Boston.

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, with immortal lines and haunting stories. Tormented by his father’s untimely death, the young prince Hamlet struggles to discern reality from illusion in the rotten state of Denmark, as he copes with the loss of his father, his mother’s remarriage, romantic complications, friendly betrayals, and reflections on life’s biggest questions. For centuries, audiences have seen themselves in the brilliant, troubled prince at the center of this mix of ghost story, comedy, seven-murder revenge thriller, and philosopher’s gold mine.

According to Director Doug Lockwood, his approach begins in defining unique perspectives on both the text, and the environment the production creates for its audience. “My edits of the script really seek to put the focus on the family and the friendships in Hamlet’s life. At the end of the play, Hamlet urges Horatio to live and 'tell my story’. That is what I see as the leaping off point for this production. It is really Horatio’s memory of the events that happened.”

“The world of this play is the beautiful Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street. Spiritual strains and conflicts throughout the text in this holy space will enhance Shakespeare’s words,” adds Lockwood. “A key source of inspiration in staging the play has been the film ‘Queen Margot’ by Patrice Chereau, and its depiction of the late 16th Century religious war between Protestants and Catholics. This singular place inspires us to conjure images of claustrophobic purgatory and a church filled with ghosts-while the church organ enhances the atmosphere.”

Additional cast members include Peter G. Andersen (Horatio), Rory Boyd (Player King), Poornima Kirby (Ophelia), Ross MacDonald* (Claudius), and Alexander Platt (Laertes), with other roles played by the ensemble.

The creative team includes Jenna McFarland Lord (set designer), Deb Sullivan**(lighting designer), Jessica Pribble (costume designer), Arshan Gailus (sound designer), Ted Hewlett (violence designer), Annie Hoffman (vocal coach) and Adele Nadine Traub* (stage manager).