The Newman University Theatre Department will present William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” for three evening performances and one matinee. The show will be performed at 8 p.m. March 5, 6 and 7, and at 2 p.m. on March 8. All performances will be in Performance Hall, inside the De Mattias Fine Arts Center on the Newman campus.
This masterpiece is considered William Shakespeare’s most famous and most perplexing play. It follows Hamlet, a student in Wittenberg, when he discovers that his uncle has married his mother after the untimely death of his father. The Ghost of his father soon charges him to take revenge for his untimely murder at the hands of his own brother. Hamlet feigns madness as he considers revenge.
“Hamlet is a complex play that deals with family dynamics in a politically volatile world,” said Newman Director of Theatre Mark Mannette. “The famous play is filled with so many quotable lines that people will recognize, it almost seems like one cliché after another. Themes run deep as well. Appearance versus reality blends with sanity versus insanity, the corruption of power, salvation versus damnation, and morality versus immorality through the lens of trust in political leaders, military might and the judgment of the people. In short, there is a bit of everything: love, lust, greed, power, comedic wit, intrigue, and violence.”
Tickets for all performances are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and Newman University faculty and staff, and $5 for non-Newman students. Tickets may be purchased at the door before each performance.
Below is a list of cast members and ensemble players, with their respective hometowns:
Cast:
Hamlet- Justin Ralph, Wichita, Kan.
Claudius- Wes Williams, Tonganoxie, Kan.
Polonius/2nd Gravedigger- Mark Carlson, Olathe, Kan.
Gertrude- C.L. Smet, Wichita
Ophelia- Rusty Carbaugh, Bartlesville, Okla.
Horatio- Andrew Hild, Bel Aire, Kan.
Laertes- Trevor Farney, Wichita
The Ghost/1st Player- Mic Brunner, Wichita
Rosencrantz- Ruben Lerma, Wichita
Guildenstern- Brittany Jonas, Wichita
Francisco/1st Gravedigger- John Denny, Colwich, Kan.
Bernardo/Fortinbras- Carlos Sanchez, North Richland Hill, Texas
Marcellus- Jacob Hobbie, Clearwater, Kan.
Osric- Sha’Terryca Williams, Wichita
Voltimand- Katy Messenger, Kingman, Kan.
Captain/Priest- David Reed, Wichita
Player Queen- Lauren Gardner, Derby, Kan.
Cornelius/Lucianus- Larry Shepherd, Belle Plaine, Kan.
