Contact: Lesley Fry at (419) 995-8671 or Pam Joseph at (419) 995-8284

Auditions announced for Ohio State Lima’s I Hate Hamlet

The Ohio State University at Lima Department of Theatre will hold open auditions for the Spring Quarter theatre production of Paul Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet from 6-8 p.m., Tues., March 8, 2011, in Reed Hall Stage II. Brian Keegan will direct.

The script is on reserve in the Campus Library in Cook Hall. Auditioners should come prepared with a two to three minute monologue of their choice and be prepared for a cold read from the script.

In the story, a discontented TV actor, Andrew Rally, has recently received the role of Hamlet in a performance to be performed in Central Park. His life is less than perfect, and he is not at all interested in playing Hamlet. When Andrew’s agent visits him, she reminisces about her brief romance with John Barrymore many years ago, in Andrew’s apartment. This prompts a séance to summon his ghost. From the moment Barrymore returns, Andrew’s life is no longer his own. Barrymore, fortified by champagne and ego, presses Andrew to accept the part and fulfill his actor’s destiny. The laughs are nonstop as Andrew wrestles with his conscience, Barrymore, his sword, and the fact that he fails as Hamlet in Central Park.

The public performances of I Hate Hamlet will be at 8 p.m., Thurs., May 19, Fri., May 20, and Sat. May 21, and also at 2 p.m., Sun., May 22, 2011, in the Martha W. Farmer Theatre for the Performing Arts in Reed Hall.

For more information, contact Brian Keegan at (419) 236-8437.

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