The Public Theater in association with St. Ann's Warehouse, will extend The Wooster
Group's Hamlet for an additional two
weeks due to the high demand for this wildly inventive take on Shakespeare's
best-known tragedy. Directed by
Elizabeth LeCompte, Hamlet marks the
debut of the legendary Wooster Group at The Public Theater, building upon The
Public's historic role as a home for independent and experimental artists. The Wooster Group's Hamlet was scheduled to close on November 18 but will now run an
additional two weeks through Sunday, December 2. The production will have an official press
opening on Wednesday, October 31.
"The Wooster Group's Hamlet
is an archeological excursion into an icon of America's cultural past, Richard
Burton's Hamlet. This legendary1964 Broadway production was
recorded in performance and shown as a film for two days only in 2000 U.S. movie
houses. The idea of bringing a live
theater experience to thousands of simultaneous viewers in different cities was
trumpeted as a new form called 'Theatrofilm,'" explain press notes, "The
Group's Hamlet attempts to reverse
this process, reconstructing a hypothetical theater piece from the fragmentary
evidence of the edited film, like an archeologist inferring an improbable
temple from a collection of ruins. Channeling the ghost of the 1964
performance, the Group descends into a kind of madness, intentionally replacing
its own spirit with the spirit of another."
Hamlet features
Scott Shepherd as Hamlet; Kate Valk as Gertrude and Ophelia; Ari Fliakos as
Claudius; and Dominique Bousquet, Alessandro Magania, Daniel Pettrow, Bill
Raymond, Casey Spooner (of Fischerspooner), and Judson Williams in a variety of
roles.
Additional Wooster Group artists and associates contributing
to the piece include Geoff Abbas, Ruud van den Akker, Zbigniew Bzymek, John
Collins, Jim Dawson, Aron Deyo, Dan Dobson, Joby Emmons, Reid Farrington,
Warren Fischer, Teresa Hartmann, Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, Claudia Hill, Shaun
Irons, Felix Ivanov, Bozkurt Karasu, Adam Kimmel, Gabe Maxson, Lauren Petty,
Matt Schloss, Andrew Schneider, Natalie Thomas, Matt Tierney, and Jennifer
Tipton.
The Wooster Group's Hamlet
began previews on Tuesday, October 9 and will now run through Sunday, December
2 with an official press opening on Wednesday, October 31. The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7 PM;
Wednesdays thru Saturdays at 8 PM; and Sundays at 4 PM. The performance on Tuesday, November 6th will
be at 8 PM instead of 7 PM. Thanksgiving
week schedule may vary.
The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street. Tickets are $50-$60 with student tickets
available for $25 (1 per ID). There are
a limited number of Rush Tickets sold an hour before curtain at every
performance (Two per person, $20 each, cash only). To purchase tickets, please call (212) 967-7555
or visit www.publictheater.org.
For general information, please call (212) 539-8750 or visit
www.publictheater.org or www.thewoostergroup.org.
