Court Theatre Extends ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD

Court Theatre has announced the extension of Tom Stoppard’s theatrical tour-de-force Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead due to overwhelming demand. Directed by Charles Newell, this production is his final directing project as Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director before he transitions into the newly-created role of Senior Artistic Consultant in summer 2024.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead will now run for an additional week, with performances added from Thursday, April 25, 2024 through the matinee performance on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Tickets are available at the Box Office (5535 S. Ellis Ave.), via phone at (773) 753-4472, or online at CourtTheatre.org.

“I am overjoyed that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is extending,” shares Director Charles Newell. “I am also deeply moved. Going on this ecstatic journey with these characters every night has been cathartic, illuminating, and deeply personal. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern must figure out who they are, and the beauty of this story lies in this universality: we are all grappling with these same questions. This extension shows that audiences connect to this feeling, and I can’t wait to welcome even more people on this wild ride.”

Everyone dies, but not everyone’s death is pre-ordained by Shakespeare. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead puts the spotlight on two of Shakespeare’s minor characters as they wrestle with fundamental, pressing questions of identity, loss, fate, friendship, and the absurdity of existence. As they hurtle towards their imminent demise, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern unlock what it means to be truly alive. 

After directing The Hard Problem, Arcadia, Travesties, and The Invention of Love at Court and Rock ‘n’ Roll at Goodman Theatre, Director Charles Newell turns his expert eye to Tom Stoppard once more. His deconstructed interpretation of one of Stoppard’s earliest and best-known works propels the story forward with newfound immediacy. And, in so doing, Newell unveils the emotional in the existential, and urges us to reconsider what we know about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet, and perhaps even Tom Stoppard himself.

 The cast of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead includes Nate Burger (Rosencrantz); Erik Hellman (Guildenstern); Lorenzo Rush Jr. (The Player); Amir Abdullah (Claudius/Ensemble); Blake Hamilton Currie (Hamlet/Ensemble); Charence Higgins (Ophelia/Ensemble); Elizabeth Ledo (Gertrude/Ensemble); and Rob Lindley (Polonius/Ensemble).

The creative team includes John Culbert (scenic design); Raquel Adorno (costume design); Keith Parham (lighting design); Andre Pluess (sound design); Sheryl Williams (physical content consultant); Rueben D. Echoles (wig and hair design concepts); Marissa Fenley (production dramaturg); Becca McCracken (casting director); Kate Ocker (stage manager); and Kira Neighbors (assistant stage manager). 

 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is sponsored by Michael C. Litt. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.

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