THE LAST WHITE MAN Comes to The Vault Theatre

Bag&Baggage Productions, Hillsboro's resident professional theatre company, continues their work of interrogating Sheakespeare's lasting impact with their upcoming production of The Last White Man by Bill Cain, Directed by B&B Founding Artistic Director Scott Palmer in his first return to The Vault stage since 2019.

"The Last White Man is about Hamlet, about Shakespeare, and about the playwright's enduring influence on contemporary Western theatre" says Palmer, "It asks questions about why Hamlet is considered so important and meaningful, and what putting a character like Hamlet in the center of the theatre universe does to BiPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), queer, and other non-white, non-male artists. It is a play that asks a lot of questions, and doesn't provide very many answers."

In The Last White Man, we follow Xandri - a black oxbridge-educated playwright and director - as she directs three white men in a production of Hamlet. Each actor brings their own skills and perspectives to the melancholy Dane, while Xandri aspires to direct the perfect production so that Hamlet never has to be produced again. Bag&Baggage has built their mission and reputation on deconstructing the notion of "classic" works of theatre, but The Last White Man exposes this often contentious relationship under full stage-lighting. "The Last White Man is such a joyful love letter to theatre, but it doesn't hold back. I feel like Bill Cain, the playwright, is sort of saying, 'Welcome back to theatre, friends. We've missed you. But...things are going to be different from now on, so hold onto your hats' " remarks Palmer.

Following B&B's goal of engaging more deeply with our community of Hillsboro, and new theatre artists and audiences, the company hopes to partner this production with a number of youth and BiPOC organizations. This partnership would include complimentary tickets and workshops on Shakespeare in contemporary contexts to the future leaders of the artform.

The Last White Man previews October 13th, and runs October 14th - 30th at The Vault Theatre in Hillsboro. Tickets will be offered at a sliding scale from $20 - $35, with a number of options for discounted tickets, all of which can be found on the access and affordability section of their website bagnbaggage.org.

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