Due To Popular Demand HAMLET Extends At Lantern Theater Through 5/17

Lantern Theater Company is proud to announce the extension of William Shakespeare's Hamlet for five additional public performances through May 17, 2009 due to critical and popular demand. Added performances will be: Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm; Thursday, May 14 at 7pm; Friday, May 15 at 8pm; Saturday, May 16 at 8pm; Sunday, May 17 at 2pm. Audiences are rediscovering this famous play in a surprising theatrical event that plumbs the dark humor of Shakespeare's tragic son.

Local press have raved about the production, with The Philadelphia Inquirer saying: "Geoff Sobelle [as Hamlet] is giving the performance of his life. Hamlet is one of the Western stage's juiciest roles, and Sobelle makes it his own, in a stunning reimagining of the character. He leads a cast that builds in intensity with each scene - a unified focus that sucks you in, as though you're on stage, a sidekick in the play."
Geoff Sobelle has not only has gained national recognition as an experimental performer, but also was Barrymore-nominated for his classical turn in The Comedy of Errors at the Lantern. Mary Martello, a familiar leading lady to Philadelphia audiences, takes a break from her usual musical and comedic roles to play Gertrude alongside Joe Guzman's Claudius. The ensemble also features Lantern veteran Tim Moyer (Lady from the Sea, Ghosts) as Polonius and making their Lantern debuts, Melissa Dunphy (Ophelia), Dallas Drummond (Guildenstern), Dan Hodge (Horatio), Dave Johnson (Rosencrantz) and Andrew Kane (Laertes).

Charles McMahon, the Lantern's founding Artistic Director, and Barrymore-nominated director behind such Shakespeare productions as The Comedy of Errors and Richard III, directs Hamlet. The Lantern design team includes set designer Dirk Durossette (Barrymore nomination for Skylight, 2008) and sound designer Nick Rye, both returning to the Lantern, as well as costume designer Brian Strachan and lighting designer Drew Billiau.

Lantern Theater Company's production of Hamlet is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. As the only Philadelphia company to receive this prestigious $25,000 grant two years in a row, the Lantern has taken teaching artists into 10 Philadelphia schools and will welcome these students to Hamlet, at no cost to them or their school. This expansion of Illumination, the Lantern's Education Program, brings theater to over 700 students who would not otherwise have the arts in their curriculum.

Hamlet began previews on Friday, April 3, 2009 and opened on Tuesday, April 7. The closing performance is scheduled for Sunday, May 10, 2009. Tickets are $25-$35, with discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. The Lantern also offers $15 student rush tickets 15 minutes before each performance. All performances are held at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the box office at 215-829-0395.

ABOUT THE 2008-2009 SEASON
Prior to Hamlet, the Lantern's 15th Anniversary Season included The Hothouse by Harold Pinter, The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, adapted by Armina LaManna and David O'Connor and Sizwe Bansi is Dead by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona. The Lantern also hosted Anthony Lawton's adaptation of The Great Divorce based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, for a limited engagement run.

The Lantern recently announced their 2009-10 Season. Click here for details on these upcoming productions.

ABOUT THE LANTERN
Founded in 1994 by Charles McMahon and Michael Brophy, Lantern Theater Company has emerged as one of the most successful professional theaters in the Philadelphia region. Lantern Theater Company is committed to an authentic and intimate exploration of the human spirit in its choice of classic, modern and original works.

The Lantern commits itself to being a vibrant, contributing member of its community. To that end, each season the Lantern produces four main stage productions, a variety of special events, and Illumination, the Barrymore nominated education program designed to engage local students and adults alike in the world of theater and nurture their own artistic expression. This program reaches the Greater Philadelphia area in four vital ways: outreach in area schools, matinee performances for students, training teaching artists for after school programs, and our audience enrichment series of lectures, discussions, and symposia for each production of our season.

Lantern Theater Company has been in residence at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue. Since the inception of Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, the Lantern has received 12 awards and 54 nominations, including nominations from 2006 to 2008 for the Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service Award. Philadelphia Weekly named the Lantern Best Theatre Company for the 2007-08 Season, calling the company's selection of plays "impressively diverse in genre and style". The 2008-09 season at Lantern Theater Company marks the company's 15th year of creating high-quality professional theater in Philadelphia

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