Joe Knezevich to Lead Georgia Shakespeare's HAMLET, 10/4-27

Love. Mourning. Revenge. Georgia Shakespeare is proud to present Shakespeare's greatest work - Hamlet, starring Joe Knezevich as Hamlet and directed by Producing Artistic Director Richard Garner.

Often considered the greatest play in the English language, Hamlet takes us on a riveting journey of revenge centered on a prince and his quest for vengeance against the murder of his father. Along the way, we wrestle with some of the most urgent and timeless questions about the nature of the human spirit, as Hamlet looks deep within on his quest "to hold ... the mirror up to nature."

In keeping with Georgia Shakespeare's mission to bring timeless stories to life in bold ways, director Richard Garner will stage this production to emphasize the contemporary dilemma of Hamlet's journey through the use of arresting visual imagery and modern music. Garner says, "this production will feature the music of Suzi-award winning composer Kendall Simpson, which will take us deep into the psyche of Hamlet. His music for our recent production of Metamorphoses was among the most beautiful music I've heard composed for the stage, and his work on Hamlet will be just as powerful and moving."

According to Garner, the heart of this production will be the performance of Associate Artist Joe Knezevich starring as Hamlet. "This is the role of a lifetime for an actor who is at the absolute top of his game right now. Joe is the leading actor of his generation in this community and his portrayal of the prince will highlight his fierce passion and intelligence as an actor and give us a riveting performance that will sear itself into our memory. This is a performance not to be missed." Knezevich and Garner have paired together on recent projects including Much Ado About Nothing, The Odyssey: A Journey Home and Richard III. Offstage, Knezevich is known for recurring television roles in The Vampire Diaries and Necessary Roughness and for recent TV appearances on Revolution and Under the Dome.

Joining Knezevich will be Georgia Shakespeare Associate Artists Chris Kayser as Claudius, Carolyn Cook as Gertrude, Neal A. Ghant as Laertes and a company featuring some of Atlanta's leading actors, including Ann Marie Gideon as Ophelia, Allan Edwards as Polonius, and Eric Mendenhall as Horatio.

The design team for Hamlet consists of award winning designers Kat Conley (scenery), Mike Post (lighting) and Sydney Roberts (costumes), and will feature stage combat choreography by Scot and Kelly Mann.

Hamlet will run October 4 - 27 at the Conant Performing Arts Center on the campus of Oglethorpe University, with special student weekday matinees beginning Oct. 2. Tickets start at $15 with discounts available for students, seniors, and members of the military.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.gashakespeare.org or call the box office at 404.504.1473.