This season the Hilberry theatre will present Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in rotating repertory using the same set and actors for both productions. Hamlet will open at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24, 2008 and the opening of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead will follow at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 14, 2008. The pairing of these plays on the Hilberry stage will transport audience members from "the humanism of the Renaissance" to the "humorous loneliness" of the existentialist 1960s. The vehicle for this daring artistic and intellectual journey will be the minds of two of the most celebrated playwrights in the history of the theatre, William Shakespeare and Tom Stoppard.

Hamlet

Hamlet performance breakdown: Wed. 2 p.m.: Nov. 19 Thurs. 8 p.m.: Nov. 20, Dec. 4, Jan. 15 Fri. 8 p.m.: Oct. 24, Nov. 21, Dec. 5, Jan. 30 Sat. 2 p.m.: Oct. 25, Nov. 29 Sat. 8 p.m.: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Jan. 17, Jan. 24

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead performance breakdown: Wed. 2 p.m.: Jan. 28 Thurs. 8 p.m.: Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 26 Fri. 8 p.m.: Nov. 14, Nov. 28, Jan. 16, Feb. 6 Sat. 2 p.m.: Nov. 15, Jan. 17 Sat. 8 p.m.: Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Feb. 7, Mar. 14

According to the director of Hamlet and the Chair of Wayne State University's Department of Theatre, Blair Anderson, "The idea of staging Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead during the same season is one that the faculty has discussed for 10 or 15 years. Doing them as companion pieces creates an interesting dynamic for our patrons, because it allows them to not only experience the plays individually, but also to make connections and insights between the plays, back-to-back, so to speak."

In Rosencrantz and Guildensten Are Dead, Tom Stoppard takes advantage of the audience's knowledge of Hamlet to shift the focus of the play from royalty to the plight of the common citizen. Stoppard transforms Hamlet's themes and characters in order to make a statement about 1960s society. For example, the characters in Hamlet are multi-dimensional; those in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead remain undefined and have no obvious purpose or role. Joseph Calarco, the director of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, states that "in Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have a sense of their own identities and they understand that their actions will result in the death of Hamlet. However, in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not understand their task in life and they aren't sure of their own identities."

Despite these differences in the plays, Anderson states, "The most apparent convergence is that the minor characters in Hamlet become the protagonists in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and the major characters become supporting roles. Equally compelling is the comparison of ‘world views' of both Shakespeare and Stoppard." Tickets for both plays are $10-$30 and are available by calling the Hilberry Theatre Box Office at (313) 577-2972 or online at www.wsushows.com.

The cast of Hamlet includes Justin Vanden Heuvel (Francisco, 4th Player, Priest, Osric), Aaron Kirby (Horatio), Erman Jones (Ghost), Brian Sage (Claudius), Caroline Price (Gertrude), James Kuhl (Hamlet), Peter Prouty (Polonius, 1st Gravdigger), Jordan Whalen (Laertes), Christina Flynn (Ophelia), Dylan Stuckey (Rosencrantz), Rob Pantano (Guildenstern), Alan Ball (Player King), Samantha Rosentrater (Player Queen), Jason Cabral (3rd Player, Bernardo, Sailor) and Kate Gustin (2nd Gravedigger, Lady).

The cast of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead includes Dylan Stuckey (Rosencrantz), Rob Pantano (Guildenstern), Alan Ball (Player), Justin Vanden Heuvel (Alfred), Peter Prouty (Tragedian 1), Jordan Whalen (Tragedian 2), Jason Cabral (Tragedian 3), Erman Jones (Tragedian 4), James Kuhl (Hamlet), Christina Flynn (Ophelia), Brian Sage (Claudius), Caroline Price (Gertrude), Kate Gustin (Lady 1), Samantha Rosentrater (Lady 2), and Horatio (Aaron Kirby).

Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard play in rotating repertory with Eurydice. Group discounts and corporate packages are available. For further ticket information, please call (313) 577-2972 or visit the Wayne State University Box Office at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Cass Avenue and Hancock. Performance information and tickets may also be obtained by visiting the Theatre's websites at www.hilberry.com and www.wsushows.com.

Season sponsored by CBS Outdoor, Between The Lines, Encore Michigan, and the Times Herald newspapers.

Hamlet photo: Front: James Kuhl and Back Left to right: Rob Pantano and Dylan Stuckey
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead photo: Left to right: Dylan Stuckey, James Kuhl, and Rob Pantano

*Photo credits: Joshua S. Ritter