'Hamlet' Begins May 27th at the Delacorte

 The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Mara Manus) will begin performances of HAMLET, the first production of the 2008 Shakespeare in the Park summer season, on Tuesday, May 27.  Directed by Oskar Eustis and featuring Tony Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg as Hamlet, the production will run through Sunday, June 29 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.  HAMLET will be followed by HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical July 22-August 17.

This year, free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park will only be distributed at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park or via a new virtual line opportunity at www.publictheater.org.  The Public Theater will not be distributing tickets downtown at 425 Lafayette Street due to ongoing construction on the exterior of the building.

The Public Theater is launching the virtual line initiative this summer to increase accessibility to Park shows.  While the majority of the tickets will still be given out at the line in Central Park, a limited number of tickets will be available each show day online.  The virtual line will allow people who are registered at the Public Theater website to log-on the day of a show (starting at midnight) to submit a request for up to two tickets.  At  1 PM, they can log-on to the theater website again to see if they have received tickets for that evening's performance.  The tickets will be held at the box office and a valid photo ID will be required.  The selection process is completely random and is not determined by what time of day a person submits a request for tickets.

The cast of HAMLET features Lauren Ambrose (Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park) as Ophelia; Christopher Bonewitz (A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep.) in the Ensemble; Andre Braugher (Henry V at Shakespeare in the Park) as Claudius; Bruce Cannon (Artistic Director of Central Park's Swedish Marionette Cottage) in the Ensemble; Matt Carlson (The Singing Forest at Long Wharf) in the Ensemble; Kevin Carroll (Satellites at The Public) as Horatio; Margaret Colin (Old Acquaintance on Broadway) as Gertrude; W. Tre' Davis (The Flea Theater's Bat Company) in the Ensemble; Emily DeCola (Peter and Wendy at Mabou Mines) in the Ensemble; David Harbour (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Broadway) as Laertes; Stephen James King (The Rage at Placid Lake) in the Ensemble; Hoon Lee (Yellow Face at The Public) as Rosencrantz; Dana Lyn (who has an album of Irish fiddle music called Looking For The Early Opener) in the the Ensemble; Piter Marek (The Poor Itch at The Public) as Bernardo and Fortinbras; Greg McFadden (The Voysey Inheritance at the Atlantic) as Guildenstern; Julio Monge (Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare in the Park) as Osric and Francisco; Paul O'Brien (The Crucible on Broadway) as Voltemand and Priest; Erin Orr (Savage Nursery at HERE) in the Ensemble; Gilbert Owuor (The Brothers Size at The Public) as Marcellus; Jay O. Sanders (A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare in the Park) as Ghost, Gravedigger, and Player King; Michael Schupbach ("Sesame Street") in the Ensemble; Miriam Silverman (Bone Portraits at Soho Rep) as Player Queen; Michael Stuhlbarg as Hamlet; and Sam Waterston (Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare in the Park) as Polonius.

HAMLET will feature scenic design by David Korins; costume design by Ann Hould-Ward; lighting design by Michael Chybowski; original music by Mark Bennett; sound design by Acme Sound Partners; and puppetry by Basil Twist.

Summer Supporter tickets for HAMLET are available for a tax-deductible contribution of $160.  Summer Supporter tickets for Hair are $165. These reserved seats are only available for a limited time to ensure that the highest number of free seats will be available to distribute to the general public on the day of the show.  Summer Supporter tickets help to underwrite production expenses.  Supporter tickets are available at the Public Theater Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street; online at publictheater.org; or by calling (212) 967-7555.

HAMLET begins previews on Tuesday, May 27 and runs through Sunday, June 29 with an official press opening on Tuesday, June 17.  Performances will be Tuesday through Sunday at 8 PM.  Tickets are FREE and will be available on the day of the performance (two per person) at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park beginning at 1 PM or via the virtual line at The Public Theater website (www.publictheater.org) beginning at 12 AM the day of the performance.  The closest entrances to the Delacorte are at 81st Street and Central Park West or 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

For additional information about Shakespeare in the Park, call (212) 539-8750 or visit

The Public Theater website at www.publictheater.org.

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