Placer Repertory's innovative, relatable Hamlet opens in February

A naked stage, three dynamic and versatile actors, a family and a nation in chaos. From these initial ingredients, Placer Repertory Theater creates a unique vision that amplifies the powerful relationships, themes and socio-political climate that drive Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Hamlet. Placer Rep's production is set in the factionalized climate of the late 1950s to mid-1960s, and the opening run tours to Roseville, Auburn, Lincoln and Rocklin from Feb. 19-27, then is available for booking. Shakespeare's complexly woven tapestry of light and dark moments delivers a rich emotional journey, better revealed to modern audiences through setting the play in the 1960s, where inspiration is found in the beatnik progressive youth sub-culture juxtaposed with the conservative, conformist ruling culture of the era. Producing Artistic Director T.S. Forsyth shared the production's rationale, saying, "Shakespeare's Hamlet occurs in the Middle Ages during a time of social and political division. Our hope is that by setting Hamlet in the modern historical context of the 1960s, we who live in these divided times in 2026 can relate to the characters, the story and find some hope that, just as Denmark survives it's tragedy, Americans, as a nation and as a people, will find our way through these times to unity in the not-too-distant future." The plot begins as the titular character arrives home from college confronted with the recent assassination of his father, the King, and speedy marriage of his widowed mother to his father's brother, Uncle Claudius, now King. The Ghost of Hamlet's Father appears and reveals that Claudius is his murderer. Hamlet finds himself in existential crisis and devises a plan to exact revenge, which soon begins to fray at the edges. The versatile cast of three actors all play multiple roles. The cast's primary roles include: Carson Sloan as Hamlet, Mark Hoffman as King Claudius and Katie Elson as Ophelia. All have performed with Placer Repertory Theater in one or more prior literary-based productions from Frankenstein and Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band and Dumas' The Corsican Brothers: An Interactive Melodrama to, most recently, Placer Rep's new play, Dracula: a melodrama. The opening run of Hamlet starts in Roseville on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m., followed by three performances in Auburn – Friday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. and Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.; in Rocklin on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and Friday, Feb. 27, both at 7 p.m.; and in Lincoln on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. For information, visit https://our.show/hamlet/roseville, https://our.show/hamlet/auburn, https://our.show/hamlet/rocklin or https://our.show/hamlet/lincoln.