The personal and political collide in a queer, feminist reimagining of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, “Hamlet,” in the Department of Theater and Dance’s spring production.
Adapted and directed by Jasmine Roth ’14, visiting assistant professor of theater and dance, performances will be in Yulman Studio Theater May 20-23 at 7:30 p.m. and May 24 at 2 p.m.
“What I love most about working on Shakespeare is how equally pulled I am to the past and to the present,” Roth said. “We get to unpack and make discoveries in a centuries-old story while also asking ourselves what this play means to us today, and how inhabiting it with our community, right now, changes or alters the story.”
The students working on “Hamlet” represent all class years and multiple majors and minors. Faculty and guest designers help bring the production to life on stage.
The role of Hamlet is played by Melanie De La Cruz ’26. Having begun her time at Union playing Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” she has come full circle with Shakespeare.
“I do feel the pressures that come along with performing this character, and it all comes down to the iconic line in English literature ‘to be, or not to be, that is the question,’’ De La Cruz said of the line in the opening of Prince Hamlet’s famous soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1.
“Those words have such a different meaning now that I have been working with this text, and I no longer question why it is so powerfully and potently present in discussions of literature and performance.”
Aaron Armstrong ’28 plays the role of Guildenstern, a childhood friend and classmate of Hamlet who is summoned by King Claudius to spy on the prince and uncover the cause of his madness.
“This interpretation of Hamlet is especially poignant within the context of our current world,” said Armstrong. “The ways we have blended the old with the new has allowed us to find richer meaning within the language and story of this play.”
The design of the space is unique, making full use of the black box theater to transform the space into a chess board, with the audience on all sides.
“Seeing theater in the round is always such a special experience, but getting to work on a production in the round is even better,” said Phoebe Ferguson ‘27, assistant lighting designer. “There is a lot to think about when the audience can view all sides of the stage, and it has been a joy learning about that process.”
Roth said it was a wonderful challenge to take on “Hamlet” with the students.
“As an educator, I love watching their lightbulb moments when they discover something in the text, and as the director of the show, I am grateful for how each of them is bringing themselves and their energy to the work,” Roth said.
Tickets to the performances are by suggested donation, $15 general admission and $5 for senior citizens and those with a Union ID. They can be purchased at the Yulman Theater Box Office Monday through Friday, 1-2 p.m., or online at eventbrite.
The runtime is three hours, including a 10-minute intermission. The production includes adult themes, reference to suicide, sexual content and simulated fighting and death. For more information or accommodative seating arrangements, contact boxoffice@union.edu, or call (518) 388-6545.