Director Karla Hendrick will stage the character as a modern young woman of intelligence and wisdom. Hamlet, clad in skirts, is rendered powerless when her uncle Claudius inserts himself into the line of succession and thrusts her aside. Determined and noble, she is someone who would take control through heart and with strength, but her conscience is a paralyzing force; moreover, she finds herself continuously isolated and betrayed by those closest to her and this impacts her ability to function. The play will be cut to a little over two hours to give the feeling of a world speeding out of control around her. The audience is challenged to consider whether the ascendancy of a female ruler could have wrought a better Denmark. This popular New York summer institution which presents Shakespeare plays with a "poor theater" aesthetic in a working parking lot is now widely imitated around the US and around the world. To the company's knowledge and research, it is the first major New York outdoor stage company to offer a production with a female Hamlet. Unlike the well-known cross-gender castings of the masterpiece, this one is not a woman playing a man: the title character is a feminine Princess of Denmark, played by Jane Bradley. Thursdays through Saturdays, July 12-28, 2018.
New York City, NY; NYC