Acts To Grind Theatre Presents HAM, A LOT - A Lot Like Hamlet But Way More Awesome

How do you like your Shakespeare, tragedy or comedy? Acts to Grind Theatre presents their latest production, HAM, a lot, a tragi-comic adaptation of Billy Shake's Hamlet aka William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1600).

Hamlet is the Bard's most famous piece and arguably the most popular play in the English literature canon. In this incarnation, an absurd farce, you don't have to be an expert on Hamlet or even an avid fan of the genre to enjoy this parody. HAM, a lot is the tale of a man who could not make up his mind. "To be or not to be? That is the question." It explores themes of betrayal, retribution, incest and moral failures that drive the twists and turns of the plot. But do they destroy the hero and those he loves?

Limited engagement from April 1 to 5 at MainLine Theatre.

From Acts to Grind Theatre artistic director and HAM, a lot director, Davyn Ryall: "When it comes to Hamlet, creating something original and still purposeful, the challenge lies in the originality of the concept. I was first drawn to this project because it was an opportunity to take an epically popular classic and make it accessible and entertaining, stretching the boundaries and thinking outside the box. Drawing on the original source materials as well as borrowing from various interpretations and miscellaneous contemporary sources, the end result is a laugh-out-loud, knee-slapping, side-splitting, Marx Brothers meets Mel Brooks good time."

HAM, a lot marks the company's eighth production since its inception in July 2016. ATGT's mission is self-expression and exploration through the performing arts, creating opportunities for both emerging and veteran artists. This play is focused on each of the fourteen characters portrayed by the ensemble cast of a dozen actors. The characters and plot present vivid impressions of human temperament that are timeless and universal, with a wide range of emotions and conflicts. The cast and crew represent a coast-to-coast team of talented artists who breathe life into their characters and bring the spirit of the play to the stage.

Featuring: Michael Aronovitch - Marissa Blair - Joanna Felemegos - Bryan Libero - Jeroen Lindeman - Duy Nguyen - Adrian Manicom - Thomas Niles - Zach Radford - Davyn Ryall - Kathy Slamen - Devin Upham

Brian Libero (Hamlet): "I love playing parodies of famous characters; it gives me more freedom to have fun with the role." Marissa Blair (Ophelia): "HAM, a lot is quite a lovely and hilarious departure from the weirdly dark and absurd theatre that I usually do. I once played Ophelia years ago at university - in that production, she died tragically in a car wash."

Production creative team: Director: Davyn Ryall - Choreography: Nadia Verrucci - Set coordination: Molly Desormeaux - Costume coordination: Davyn Ryall - Light coordination: Eric Wrazen - Sound coordination: Ricky Smith & Davyn Ryall- Puppet Master: Chris Wardell - Promo materials design by: Kathy Slamen - Promo-video by: Olivier Ross Parent.

For more information visit www.mainlinetheatre.ca/fr/spectacles/ham-a-lot.

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