IU DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DRAMA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: John Edward Kinzer, Director of Audience Development
(812) 855-0514 or jkinzer@indiana.edu

THE ULTIMATE STUDENT PLAY, HAMLET, RETURNS TO THE INDIANA STAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS

BLOOMINGTON, IN—Imagine going home from college to mourn the death of your father. When you arrive you discover that your mother already has married your uncle, your lover is falling off the deep end, and the only way out is to follow your father’s ghost. You uncover a vortex of lies and deceit that turns your life and those you love inside out. Have you heard this story before? Dramatic literature’s most celebrated student returns to the IU stage for the first time since 1956. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet runs November 14th, 15th, and 18th – 22nd at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center at 7th and Jordan on the Indiana University campus.

After a whirlwind summer culminating in the opening of his award-winning production of Black Mamba in London, Associate Professor of Acting and Directing Murray McGibbon directs Hamlet which is not only “a truly great play,” but also “very contemporary…dealing with family issues and human issues on an alarmingly immediate scale,” issues that will touch students and adults alike. Because themes of family tragedy—death, adultery, mental illness—are ever-present in modern society, the production features a fresh aesthetic that will open this play to a wide audience. This “must-see” event marks the first time Hamlet has been done at Indiana University in fifty two years. McGibbon calls it, “a more than a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Third-year M.F.A. acting student Harper Jones plays the title role as his M.F.A. thesis project. Murray McGibbon said of Harper, “he is Hamlet” that he possesses an “Everyman” quality that will reach everyone in the audience.

While playing such an iconic role has been an “honor” Jones also stresses the universality of the play and its importance to today’s world. This production focuses on “every part of what it is to be in a family…It’s a piece of work that exists now as a play that we can bring to a college audience…It’s about this time, this place that we exist in now.” In addition to taking on the Herculean task of playing Hamlet, Harper has been visiting local high schools and sharing his craft with the next generation of college students. Previously at the Norvelle Center, Harper appeared as Orpheus and others in Metamorphoses, Claudio in Measure for Measure, Petey in The Birthday Party, and Al in Side Man.

The cast also features Josh Hambrock (The Seagull) in the double role of Hamlet’s usurping uncle Claudius and the ghost of Hamlet’s deposed father. Bethany Barber plays Hamlet’s conflicted mother Gertrude, while the other woman in Hamlet’s life—Ophelia—is portrayed by Justine Salata (The Seagull). Ophelia’s father Polonius and brother Laertes also figure heavily in Hamlet’s fate, and are portrayed by Neal Utterback and Kevin Anderson (Twelfth Night), respectively.

The production features the work of Scenic Designer Fred M. Duer (Assistant Professor of Scenic Design), Costume Designer Linda Pisano (Associate Professor of Costume Design), Lighting Designer third year M.F.A. student Cynthia Murphy (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Jimmy Cory), Sound Designer Andrew Hopson (Assistant Professor of Sound Design), and Technical Director I. Christopher Berg (Assistant Technical Director of the Department of Theatre and Drama).

Hamlet opens Friday, November 14th at 7:30 P.M. with additional performances October 15th and 18th – 22nd. All performances will take place on the Ruth N. Halls Stage at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center at 7:30 PM. with an additional 2:00 pm matinee on Saturday, October 18. Ticket prices: $20 for adults, $15 for 30-and-under, students, and seniors on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings and at the Saturday matinee. Student Rush Tickets for $12 cash with valid IUB student ID are available the day of each performance. Group prices are available. For ticket information, call 812-855-1103 and ask for information about Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center tickets.  Tickets can be purchased in person at the IU Auditorium box office Monday – Friday from 10 am – 5 pm or at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center box office which opens an hour before curtain. To purchase tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at 333-9955, or buy online at www.theatre.indiana.edu .

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