The Public Presents Wooster Group's 'Hamlet,' Begins 10/9

The Public Theater in association with St. Ann's Warehouse, opens its 2007-2008 season with The Wooster Group's Hamlet, a wildly inventive take on Shakespeare's best-known tragedy.  Directed by Elizabeth LeCompte, Hamlet marks the debut of the legendary Wooster Group at The Public Theater, building upon The Public's historic role as a home for independent and experimental artists.  The Wooster Group's Hamlet will begin previews on Tuesday, October 9 and run through Sunday, November 18 with an official opening on Wednesday, October 31.

"The Wooster Group's Hamlet is an archeological excursion into an icon of America's cultural past, Richard Burton's Hamlet.  This legendary1964 Broadway production was recorded in performance and shown as a film for two days only in 2000 U.S. movie houses.  The idea of bringing a live theater experience to thousands of simultaneous viewers in different cities was trumpeted as a new form called 'Theatrofilm,'" explain press notes, "The Group's Hamlet attempts to reverse this process, reconstructing a hypothetical theater piece from the fragmentary evidence of the edited film, like an archeologist inferring an improbable temple from a collection of ruins. Channeling the ghost of the 1964 performance, the Group descends into a kind of madness, intentionally replacing its own spirit with the spirit of another."

Hamlet features Scott Shepherd as Hamlet; Kate Valk as Gertrude and Ophelia; Ari Fliakos as Claudius; and Dominique Bousquet, Alessandro Magania, Daniel Pettrow, Bill Raymond, Casey Spooner (of Fischerspooner), and Judson Williams in a variety of roles.

Additional Wooster Group artists and associates contributing to the piece include Geoff Abbas, Ruud van den Akker, Zbigniew Bzymek, John Collins, Jim Dawson, Aron Deyo, Dan Dobson, Joby Emmons, Reid Farrington, Warren Fischer, Teresa Hartmann, Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, Claudia Hill, Shaun Irons, Felix Ivanov, Bozkurt Karasu, Adam Kimmel, Gabe Maxson, Lauren Petty, Matt Schloss, Andrew Schneider, Natalie Thomas, Matt Tierney, and Jennifer Tipton.

The Wooster Group's Hamlet will begin previews on Tuesday, October 9 and run through Sunday, November 18 with an official press opening on Wednesday, October 31.  The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesdays thru Saturdays at 8 PM; and Sundays at 4 PM.  The performance on Tuesday, November 6th will be at 8 PM instead of 7 PM.

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street.  Tickets are $50-$60 with student tickets available in advance, at the box office only, for $25 (1 per ID).  There are a limited number of Rush Tickets sold an hour before curtain at every performance to the general public (Two per person, $20 each, cash only).  To purchase tickets, please call (212) 967-7555.

For general information, please call (212) 539-8750 or visit www.publictheater.org or www.thewoostergroup.org.

Photo of Scott Shepherd as Hamlet, by Paula Court