Shake It Up Shakes Youth Ens. Presents HAMLET & THREADS OF A SPIDER WEB

Sixteen young actors from all over the state will be staging Hamlet and the new musical Threads of Spider Web, book by DiMartino, with music and lyrics by Carol Taubl. Hamlet will take place on Long Wharf Theatre's Stage II August 24 and 26. Threads of a Spider Web will take place on August 25 and 27. All performances start at 7 p.m.

Performing shows in repertory is difficult under any circumstances, let alone pairing a brand new musical and arguably William Shakespeare's greatest work.

Yet, a group of high school and college students, led by Director of Education Annie DiMartino, are working to accomplish precisely that. The Shake It Shakepeare Youth Ensemble continues DiMartino's commitment to creating high quality performing opportunities for area youth at no cost to them or their families.

There is a suggested $10 donation for each show. Tickets can be obtained at the door, or by calling the Long Wharf Theatre box office at 203-787-4282.

DiMartino has taken Hamlet and melded Shakespeare's language with modern musical artists, replicating last year's unique take on The Taming of the Shrew. Artists such as Queen, Death Cab for Cutie, Jeff Buckley, Evanescence, Celine Dion and Johnny Cash will be featured in the play. The actors will also be performing the music for the show. "Because Hamlet is so dense, there has been a lot of character analysis, Viewpoints and contemporary dance movement work," DiMartino said. "There has been a deep textual engagement of the play."

Tackling the two works in tandem has been a challenging process for the young performers. To their credit, DiMartino said, the performers are making unique character choices for each piece. Poetry has become The Common artistic currency in each play, DiMartino said, with the performers immersing themselves in both Shakespeare's language and the themes presented by various famous poets in Threads of a Spider Web. " The actors like the challenge of the work and the stickiness of the emotions," DiMartino said.

In Threads, a mother tells a stranger on a plane about the loss of her two children to a drunk driver. From this horrific tragedy comes an exploration of several interlocking lives, all considering love, loss, acceptance and the poignant question of what might have been. The characters are lightly influenced by the poetry of Coleridge, Wordsworth, St. Vincent Millay, Plath and Dickinson. Original music - a mix of pop, power ballads and rock - complete the experience.
The company is comprised of Danielle Bonanno (Ellington), Jessica Coppola (North Haven), Chelsea Dacey (Wallingford), Nina Dicker (Old Saybrook), Bowen Kirwood (Orange), Jane Logan (Branford), Anthony Rockford (New Haven), Ryan Ronan (West Haven), Marisa Sullivan (Wallingford), Jack Taubl (New Haven), James Taubl (New Haven), Jeremiah Taubl (New Haven), Sam Taubl (New Haven), Kira Topalian (Milford), Erik Van Eck (Ivoryton), and Dawn Williams (Trumbull).

For more information, visit www.longwharf.org.

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