Horse In Motion To Produce HAMLET At Historic Stimson Green Mansion

The Horse in Motion announces their upcoming production, an immersive multi-room staging of Hamlet in the historic Stimson-Green Mansion.

The production explores how when faced with a moment of moral crisis, the actions we take - or don't take - define us. In this immersive, multi-room staging of Hamlet, two actors take on each character, as identities are cracked apart, stories diverge and intersect, and the consequences of our actions are laid terrifyingly bare.

Through an exciting partnership with the Washington Historical Trust, the production will be performed throughout the house and grounds of the Stimson-Green Mansion on Seattle's First Hill. The mansion's exterior is an exceptional example of early twentieth century English Tudor Revival style architecture, while the interior is an eclectic mix of styles including Moorish, Romanesque, Neoclassical, and Renaissance influences. This Seattle landmark becomes an additional character in the play as the audience moves through its lavish rooms for an intimate experience of Hamlet.

New York City-based director Julia Sears will helm the production. Sears has been developing the concept for the show in a series of workshops with the Horse in Motion, and will return to Seattle in March 2018 for rehearsals in advance of the April 12 opening.

"What do you do when you see atrocities performed by those in offices of power?" asks Sears. "When you see a war creeping on the horizon? When you're called to action? How do the choices you make impact your family, your community, and your country? These are the questions Shakespeare's Hamlet offers us and they are just as salient today."

"We are so excited to be collaborating with Julia and to be performing in the Stimson-Green Mansion," said Horse in Motion Executive Director Ben Phillips. "This is our most ambitious project yet, and we have an incredible cast and team to bring this vision to life."

Upon entering the Stimson-Green, the audience will be split into two groups, each following a separate performance of the play, which intersect with each other in pivotal scenes, offering audiences an innovative and fresh take on a classic play. "Hamlet is at once universal and individual," said Sears. "The character encapsulates one of the most basic human questions, to act or not to act."

"As a company, we are always looking to explore the relationship between audiences, performances, and the world outside the theatre, and this production offers us a new way to do this," said Phillips. "With a play as familiar as Hamlet we are looking forward to how audiences will be surprised by what they experience, and how a play about choices and identities and violence resonates in our current moment."

"?We want to make Shakespeare that engages all of your senses, that puts you in a real space with the actors," said Sears.

Kevin Lin and Jocelyn Maher will take on the role of Hamlet in the play's two respective tracks. The cast also includes Ian Bond, Katherine Bicknell, Anjelica McMillan, Nic Morden, Mario Orallo-Molinaro, Tatiana Pavela, Ben Phillips, Hannah Ruwe, and Laura Steele.

The production is led by director Julia Sears with design by Ryan Dunn, Jenn Oaster, Mitchell Helton, and Alex Potter. Mary Hubert, Linnea Ingalls, Beau Castillo, Kayla Imrisek, and Bryce Bartl-Geller are also part of the production team. Bobbin Ramsey is the lead producer.

The play will open April 12, 2018 at the Stimson Green Mansion. It will run through April 29 with performances Thursday through Sunday at 7:30pm. Tickets go on sale February 28.

Hamlet

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Julia Sears

The Stimson-Green Mansion

April 12-29

Tickets and info: www.thehorseinmotion.org

About the Director:

Julia Sears straddles the world of art and activism to create communication across disparate sectors with similar goals for social justice. Selected Directing: Bullet Catchers (Clutch Productions), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Opera House Arts), Unequilibrium (HERE Arts), The Life Model (On The Boards), Artaud Artaud (Signature Theatre), Kit & Dabney (Live Source @ La MaMa), Three Sisters (Barn Arts Collective),The Human Incubator (The World Egg), Wives Tale (Exquisite Corpse Company), Bitch: A Play About Antigone (Capital Fringe Festival). She is a member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers and a resident artist with Exquisite Corpse Company. She has trained with the Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Folger Shakespeare Library (DC), American Shakespeare Center (VA), Synetic Theatre (VA), The Shakespeare Forum (NY) and is graduate of the University of Washington. www.juliasears.org

About The Horse in Motion:

The mission of The Horse in Motion is to "engage our audience in new experiences that expand the traditional conception of theatre and reshape how we interact with art, our community and the world." The Horse in Motion's inaugural production in 2014 was a critically acclaimed staging of Martin Crimp's Attempts on Her Life, performed in multiple rooms of the historic University Heights Center. Since then the company has produced a variety of non-traditional performances including a festival of Brecht performed over breakfast titled BrechtFest, three iterations of an internet-based multimedia festival, an original performance in the Seattle Art Museum, a promenade piece titled ...And Hilarity Ensues...., and the West Coast premiere of Brendan Pelsue's dystopian political thriller Wellesley Girl. Working with a collaborative, process-driven method, The Horse in Motion is committed to presenting theatre that is challenging and fresh, and that creates the inspiration and opportunity for dialogue, creativity, and action. www.thehorseinmotion.org

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