![Hamlet and ghost of Hamlet with sword]()
Carroll students are taking the stage for their production of Hamlet (A Cover) April 13, 14 and 15. The show is a new adaptation by director and Carroll professor, Jennifer Dobby, of the immortal story of a grief-stricken son avenging his father’s villainous murder with modern music woven throughout to help tell the tale. The addition of music puts a new spin on the story and makes it accessible and relatable for the audience. The performance will be the first true Shakespeare piece performed at Carroll in more than 10 years.
The cast and crew have been hard at work learning Shakespearean verse, music and original choreography preparing for the performances. In addition to direction by Dobby, preparation for the show came through Assistant Director, Allison Klauke; Acting Instructor Laura Gray on text direction; music direction and arrangement by Brian Myers and choreography by Carrie Woods Prange, Erin Ashenhurst and Kylie Peters. See below for more production credits.
The character connections in Hamlet can be perplexing, so we broke down the cast and their relations for you below to help you follow along—if you're lucky enough to catch the show, that is. Performances sold out within two days of tickets going on sale, partially credited to the outstanding video trailer promoting the show. An extra performance was added by popular demand, but also filled quickly.
The cast is led by Jack Sherman as Hamlet and Rachel Verhoef as Ophelia. Claudius, the King of Denmark and Hamlet’s uncle, is played by Ian Griffith. Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and Hamlet’s mother, is portrayed by Frankie Winter. Eddie Curran takes the stage as Ophelia’s brother, Laertes. Father of both Ophelia and Laertes is Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain of King Claudius’s court, played by Cole Severt.
Brandon Nieves appears as Fortinbras, prince of Norway. The father of Fortinbras (who was also named Fortinbras) was murdered by Hamlet’s father (who is also named Hamlet). That’s not confusing at all. The role of the Ghost of King Hamlet (yes—Hamlet’s father, the dead one...hence ghost) is played by Mark Wampfler. Mark also supports the show through backup vocals throughout, where he is joined by Lauren Harrod and Bailey Pietsch.
Horatio is Hamlet’s close friend (not related to anyone), played by Calynn Klohn. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two bumbling court members, are brought to life by Griffin Idleman and Kate Breckon, respectively.
The Ladies in Waiting—Erin Ashenhurst (also Lucianus), Madeline Buchta (also Ambassador/Player), Emily Burke, Kylie Peters (also Osric) and Alyssa Stein (also Voltemand/Player)—are by Ophelia’s side throughout the show.
The show is filled out with roles by Bob Bonanno as Captain/Gravedigger/Guard, Allison Calteux as Marcellus/Player Queen, Morgan Godfrey as Cornelius/Sailor/Messenger/Attendant, Kristina Larson as Barnardo/First Player/Sailor/Attendant, Drew Sherrod as Sailor/Doctor/Guard and Bradley Weller as Francisco/Player/Gravedigger/Guard.