Writers' Theatre Extends HAMLET thru November 25

Writers' Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, announces added performances of Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam. The production has been extended two weeks, and MUST CLOSE November 25, 2012, at Writers' Theatre, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.

Tickets for most of the regular run performances are now sold out. Tickets for the added dates are now available at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.

The king is dead-murdered by his own brother, who has claimed the throne and the widowed queen. And the world goes on…but the Prince cannot. Shakespeare's greatest tragedy is equal parts ghost story, political intrigue, doomed romance and murder mystery, driven by one of literature's most intriguing, enigmatic and controversial characters.

The cast includes Scott Parkinson (Hamlet), Shannon Cochran (Gertrude), Michael Canavan (Claudius), Timothy Edward Kane (Laertes), Larry Yando (Ghost), Ross Lehman (Polonius), Kareem Bandealy (Horatio), Liesel Matthews (Ophelia), Julian Parker (Rosencrantz), Witold Huzior (Fortinbras) and Billy Fenderson (Guildenstern).

The designers are Collette Pollard (scenic), David Hyman (costumes), Sarah Hughey (lighting), Mikhail Fiksel (sound) and Nick Heggestad (properties). The fight director is David Woolley and the stage manager is David Castellanos.

Performances now run through November 25, 2012. Curtain times are Tuesdays (no performance October 30, November 6, November 13 or November 20) and Wednesdays at 7:30pm (with select Wednesday 2pm matinees - October 10 and 17 and November 21 only); Thursdays (no performance November 8 and November 22) and Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00pm and 6:00pm (no 6pm performance October 14). Tickets are $50-$75 and are available at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.

Follow Writers' Theatre on Twitter (Twitter.com/WritersTheatre) and by 3:00pm, when available, Writers' will Tweet a code that can be used to purchase remaining seats for that day's performance at a discount. When available, Tweet Seats may be purchased only through the Writers' Theatre website at writerstheatre.org.

For more information about Writers' 2012/13 Season Restaurant Partners and offer restrictions visit writerstheatre.org/visitus.

Over the past twenty seasons, Writers' Theatre has become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence. Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers' Theatre has been deemed the "best drama company in the nation" by the Wall Street Journal and achieved twenty years of surplus operations. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of 35,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry. Prized for the finest interpretations of classic and Contemporary Theatre in its two intensely intimate venues, Writers' Theatre's acclaimed work includes Artistic Director Michael Halberstam's world premiere in Glencoe and subsequent production of A Minister's Wife at Lincoln Center Theater; David Cromer's productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Picnic; and the commissioning, world premiere and New York premiere of Crime and Punishment, which has received more than 30 subsequent regional Theater Productions.

In July, 2011, Writers' Theatre announced the hiring of the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects, led by principle Jeanne Gang, FAIA to design a new home for the Theatre in downtown Glencoe which will once again allow the Theatre to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility will resonate with and complement the Theatre's neighboring Glencoe community and will add tremendous value to Chicagoland and the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.