Cohesion Theatre Company to Present HAMLET, 3/4-20

Cohesion Theatre Company is proud to announce the second main stage show of their Second Season. Cohesion Co-Founder Alice Stanley is set to direct the full production going up at Church on the Square in Canton for 9 performances March 4th - 20th, 2016.

"The play [Hamlet] is a tall order simply because of its prominence in our culture and its status as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) plays in the English language." says Stanley. "It addresses issues that we don't often get to talk about in the media - even when you do see movies or shows about transgender people, so often they focus on the character's transition. In this play, Devon has already completed her transition and is living life the way she wants to, and her old ghosts come back to her in the form of an estranged father."

Stanley's Hamlet is set in 1993 Seattle, the epicenter of the grunge movement, as well as using gender blind casting to allow for new captivating relationships amongst Shakespeare's characters. The production will draw on key elements of grunge - such as apathy, social alienation, rejection of corrupted culture, and the sense of madness and rage - to bring out the dynamics present within Shakespeare's text. Design elements will use the grunge aesthetic to create a surreal and emotional world as a new way of telling this timeless story, and will be heavily influenced by early 90's icons such as Kurt Cobain.

Caught between the death of a Father, the betrayal of a Mother, and the lust of an Uncle-become-King, Shakespeare's famously brooding protagonist seeks revenge above all else in the most influential play of the English language. A calculating schemer, or a raving lunatic, Hamlet's emotional soliloquies and tragic story have captivated and intrigued audiences for hundreds of years. The turmoil will be palpable in Stanley's production as they draw the audience into the emotional life of the often distant and intellectual protagonist. As Hamlet's grip on the world spirals out of control, and those closest find themselves manipulated and betrayed, the production elements will spiral right along with Hamlet.

THIS PRODUCTION, AND THE REMAINDER OF COHESION'S 2015/16 SEASON, IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF NICHOLAS DELANEY.

Hamlet will run Fridays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 4pm, March 4 - 20th, 2016. Tickets are $20 for Adults and $15 for Students and Seniors, and can be purchased online at cohesiontheatre.org/tickets.

For more information about season two at Cohesion Theatre Company, visit www.cohesiontheatre.org