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Clarion University Theatre will present Tom Stoppard’s comedy “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead” in the Marwick-Boyd Little Theatre Nov. 16-20. Performance times are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two fairly minor characters in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” They are his college friends who are brought to Elsinore Castle by Claudius to find out why Hamlet is acting strangely – essentially, to spy on him. Stoppard's play turns "Hamlet" inside out, presenting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as the central characters, stuck in an absurd existential crisis while a world they don't understand spins out of control around them.
The 1967 Broadway premier had a cast of 36. In Clarion's production, a company of eight actors will play all the other parts, which include actual characters and brief scenes from Shakespeare's "Hamlet," though no knowledge or even familiarity with "Hamlet" is required to enjoy the play.
The title roles are played by Logan Honsaker of Twinsburg, Ohio, and Samuel Atwell of St. Marys, who were seen on the Clarion stage last spring as the Irish brothers Coleman and Valene Connor in "The Lonesome West." Both are seniors, and these roles are their capstone graduation projects. The production is directed by Robert Bullington.
In addition to Atwell and Honsaker, the cast also features Justin Baumgarten of Philipsburg, Shayla Barrett of Johnstown, Philip Rocco of Monroeville, Daniel Lamond of North Beach, Md., Nathan Bunyon of Collegeville, Lindsay Smelcer of Bensalem, Gabrielle Pauley of Columbia, and Rachel Hutchison of Beaver Falls. The understudy is Betsey Novotny of Homestead. Scenery and costumes have been designed by theatre faculty Edward J. Powers and Myra Bullington. Lighting is by Thomas Feather of Windber, properties by Anna Matia of Pittsburgh, and sound by Cierra J. Southerton of Honesdale. The stage manager for the production Is Courtney H. Chaplin of McMurray.
Tickets are $12 for adults, and free for students with a valid Clarion ID. The play is not suitable for children under 12.