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AS WE PRESENT ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD
AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 19, 2010
FULLERTON, CA – The Hunger Artists Theatre Company is proud to present Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead for our late summer production. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is directed by Hunger Artists Managing Director, Anthony Galleran.
Everyone knows about Hamlet’s story, but what do the other characters in the play think? What happens when two friends suddenly find themselves in the middle of a much bigger drama without any context? Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead follows the actions of the title characters as they try to make heads or tails of the events they find themselves swept up in.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on August 24, 1966 by the Oxford Theatre Group. It was presented at the Old Vic in London, premiering on April 11, 1967 in a production directed by Derek Goldby. From October 1967 through October 1968, it ran on Broadway first at the Alvin Theatre and then at the Eugene O’Neill. This production, presented by the Royal National Theatre, earned four Tony Awards, including Best Play. Tom Stoppard earned his only directing credit with a film adaptation in 1990, which he also wrote the screenplay for. The film starred Gary Oldman as Rosencrantz, Tim Roth as Guildenstern and Richard Dreyfuss as The Player.
The Hunger Artists production of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead features Company Member Topher Mauerhan as Rosencrantz and Gregory Spradlin as Guildenstern. Mauerhan appeared in last year’s production of The Shape of Things. This is Spradlin’s first show with the Hunger Artists. The Player is being played by Company Member Mark Coyan, who has appeared in numerous productions, including last year’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Lion in Winter. Ryan Knight is playing Hamlet, Jeffery Rockey is Claudius and Jennifer Pierce is Gertrude with Roger Weiss as Polonius. Ophelia is played by Jessica Likens, Alfred is played by Hunger Artists Literary Manager, David Yu and Steven Jones and Hayley Jackson are both Players.
Stephanie Cooke is the Stage Manager for this production. Set Design was done by Ashley Martin and Daphne Mir provided the Lighting Design. Garrett MacDonald designed Costumes and Anthony Galleran did the Sound Design.
Tom Stoppard has been a prolific writer since the early 1960’s. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead was his first major success onstage, but he has also written screenplays, radioplays and one novel entitled Lord Malquist and Mr. Moon. Some of his most popular plays include Night and Day, The Real Thing and Arcadia. In 1990 he wrote the screenplay adaptation of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead which he also directed. His script for Shakespeare in Love, co-written with Marc Norman, won an Academy Award in 1998. He also co-wrote the script for Brazil with Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown , which was nominated for an Academy Award as well.
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is one of those rare pieces of theatre that you hear of being produced and feel like you have to see,” says director Anthony Galleran. “It's such a unique blend of comedy, drama, and philosophy - and in the right hands it can truly be an unforgettable experience. Thematically, I was drawn to the questions raised by the script - fate vs. free will, theatricality vs. reality - and I think the audience will enjoy exploring those themes as much as we've enjoyed presenting them."
Anthony Galleran started serving as Managing Director at the Hunger Artists Theater Company in January 2009. He has appeared in several productions at Hunger Artists, including Company, Cabaret, One Flea Spare, Buried Child and most recently Bat Boy: The Musical. He directed last year’s production of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things.
“Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is one of my favorite plays,” says Artistic Director, Amber Scott. ”The wordplay is brilliant and the way that Stoppard weaves Hamlet in and out of the action is beautifully done. It is exactly the type of show that Hunger Artists excels at.”
Performances of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead will take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm, with a special performance on Thursday, September 16th at 8 pm. General admission tickets are $18; senior and students (with valid ID) may purchase tickets for $15. Tickets for the Thursday performance are $5. Patrons may purchase tickets online by visiting our website (www.hungerartists.com). To reserve tickets by phone, please call 714.680.6803. For more information about Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead or the Hunger Artists Theatre Company’s upcoming 2010 season, please visit www.hungerartists.com. Programming, dates and times are subject to change.
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