ARTFARM to Present Hamlet as 12^th Annual Shakespeare in the Grove at Middlesex Community College

Photo: Nathan Tracy as Horatio and Marcella Trowbridge as Hamlet in rehearsal for Artfarm’s Hamlet.

MIDDLETOWN, CT- Middletown-based theatre company ARTFARM brings Shakespeare to the Grove at Middlesex Community College for the twelfth year with a groundbreaking production of Hamlet running July 12^ththrough July 23^rd.

“This is not the Hamlet that you read in high school,” said Executive Director Dic Wheeler, who is directing this summer’s production, “This is a fast-paced, contemporary Hamlet which is all about action and reaction in a high-stakes world.”

Wheeler has condensed Shakespeare’s mammoth masterpiece to a swift two-hour cut which utilizes 11 actors.

“With this streamlined cut we’re really getting to the bones of the story,” said Marcella Trowbridge, Artistic Director of Artfarm, “and a lot of that is about taking action in the face of corruption, in the face of an unjust government. And I think that right now it feels resonant. It feels crucial and vital for a play that’s over 400 years old.”

Trowbridge will be taking on the title role. “It’s a tremendous gift to be able to play this role,” she says, “I am certainly not the first woman in history to play Hamlet. There have been some dynamic women who have played Hamlet. It’s a lot to do justice to this. My hope is that as an actor, I bring a sense of emotional accessibility and intuitiveness to Hamlet- who is already very intellectual and reflective.”

Wheeler agrees, “Marcella Trowbridge is a modern Hamlet, a thinker and a fighter in a world where gender identity is in flux.”

The full cast includes Alex Kydd, Peter Loffredo, J. Golden, Nick Perry, Cassandra Spadory, Nathan Tracy, Jacob Harris Wright, Alice Wilkinson, and Equity actors Callie Beaulieu as Queen Gertrude and Noah Tuleja as King Cladius.

Beaulieu returns to Artfarm this year after performing in King Lear in 2014. “I’ve wanted to play Gertrude for years,” she said, “So for me to finally get my hands on her and get to say those lines I’ve wanted to say for a long time has been a great honor.”

Tuleja, a newcomer to Artfarm this year, agrees. “The chance to play Claudius is kind of hard to pass up,” he said, “And this production…really drives more. Not just for Hamlet but for every character it’s very driven.”

Artfarm’s Hamlet will run Wednesday July 12^th through Sunday July 16^th and Wednesday July 19^th through Sunday July 23^rd at 8:00pm in the Cedar Grove on the campus of Middlesex Community College. Patrons are encouraged to come early and enjoy a picnic overlooking the Connecticut River Valley before the show.

The cast and crew all look forward to sharing this daring new production of Hamlet with the Connecticut community. When asked what she would tell audiences coming in to see the show, Callie Beaulieu said, “Just be open. Everyone has a preconceived notion of Hamlet. But if it’s still possible to surprise people with this show, this is going to be the version that makes people see it very differently.”

Hamlet runs Wednesday July 12^th through Sunday July 23^rd at 8:00pm at Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road, Middletown, CT. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for kids. July 12^th is a “Pay-What-You-Can” Preview. For tickets and information, contact ARTFARM at (860) 346-4390, email info@art-farm.org, or go to www.art-farm.org.

Shakespeare in the Grove 2017 is made possible by support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts, Pratt & Whitney, and generous donors and businesses. Shakespeare in the Grove is co-sponsored by Middlesex Community College.

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*This actor appears through the courtesy of the Actor’s Equity Association, 

the Union of Professional actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

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