HAMLET, A TALE OF TWO CITIES and More Announced for Actors' Theatre 2022 Summer Season

After its return to in-person performances in 2021, Actors' Theatre of Columbus has announced its 40th anniversary summer season, "Royals Redux" - a look at the sovereignty and subversion of the ruling class and social elite.

ATC's summer season features two king-sized plays of Shakespearean proportions including Hamlet, 1603 (May 26 - June 19) and Queen Margaret (July 21 - August 14), plus Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (June 23 - July 17), and August Wilson's King Hedley II (August 18 - September 4), a first-ever collaboration with PAST Productions Columbus to conclude the season.

HAMLET, 1603 by William Shakespeare

Directed by Sarah Neville

A grieving son; a father's ghost; a mother's untimely remarriage: Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet has long been among his best-known and most-celebrated plays. But before the familiar tale of delayed revenge, long scenes, and introspective speeches came Shakespeare's earlier, younger, and much faster version. A (old) new take on the play audiences think they know, Hamlet, 1603 offers a rare opportunity to experience the exciting first draft of Shakespeare's most famous work.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens

Adapted for the stage by Terence Rattigan and John Gielgud

Directed by David J. Glover

One of the darkest and most romantic of Dickens' novels, A Tale of Two Cities is set in the late 18th century against the background of the French Revolution. In a time when governments all over the world are facing down political unrest and fierce protests, this revolutionary story has never been more relevant. The complex plot involves Sydney Carton sacrificing his own life on behalf of his friends Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette. While political events drive the story, lambasting aristocratic tyranny and revolutionary excess-the latter memorably caricatured in Madame Defarge, who knits beside the guillotine, this adaptation reflects that ambition by having thirty characters played by just eight actors.

QUEEN MARGARET by William Shakespeare

Adapted by Jeanie O'Hare

Directed by Philip J. Hickman

Queen Margaret is a new adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry VI plays, focusing on the life and story of Queen Margaret of Anjou, one of history's most influential women. The play is a simmering blend of romance, betrayal, and rebellion told with wit and power. The story unfolds as Margaret grows from a young queen bound by the constraints of tradition to the ruling force in the War of the Roses, protecting her son in a chaotic time of political strife and providing a future for her nation.

August Wilson'S KING HEDLEY II

A co-production with PAST Productions Columbus

Directed by Patricia Wallace-Winbush

King Hedley II is set in 1985 and tells the story of an ex-con in post-Reagan Pittsburgh trying to rebuild his life. The play touches on economic disparity, the violence of the times, and how secrets and generational curses can tear a family apart.

"The plays we are presenting this season examine power structures, power moves, and powerful people," shared Artistic Director Philip J. Hickman. "How do we make or break change when things go wrong? These plays present fresh, unique takes on stories that are compelling, provocative, romantic, and sometimes very funny."

Auditions for the 2022 season will be held in person March 12-13 at the German Village Meeting Haus (588 S. 3rd St., Columbus, OH). Video auditions will also be accepted. To learn more, or schedule an audition time, visit https://theactorstheatre.org/auditions/.

Outdoor summer shows are free and open to the public, though donations are encouraged and vital to the continued success of Actors' Theatre. Suggested levels of donation are available by visiting https://theactorstheatre.org/support/donate/.

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