The cast of Breakdancing Shakespeare: Hamlet includes Dana Clarke, 17, Howell Cheney Tech in Manchester, as Laertes; Jarriel DeJesus, 15, Granby Memorial High School, as Bernardo/Osric; Gabriella Dominguez,15, Glastonbury High School/Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, as Player/Dancer; Reese Hart, 17, Bloomfield High School, as Hamlet;Danielle Hoffman, 17, Farmington High School/Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, as Gertrude; Daisy Infantas, 19, University of Hartford, as Ophelia; Alana Morgan, 16, Global Communications Academy in Hartford, as Horatio; Ashley Morgan, 19, Manchester Community College, as Polonius; Diego Pichay, 14 ,South Windsor High School, as Guildenstern; Jewels Rivera, 15, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, as Marcellus; Kaleb Rutland, 16, of Manchester, as the Ghost/Gravedigger; Lili St. Amand, 16, Hall High School in West Hartford, as Rosencrantz; Benjamin Stone, 15, East Granby High School, as Claudius; Karina Ukhnitska, 15, New Britain High School, as Player/Dancer; and Emma Webb, 16, Canton High School, as Player/Dancer.

Hamlet is William Shakespeare’s tragic tale of revenge. The play has been adapted for the Breakdancing Shakespeare production by Scott Bartelson, Management Associate for Hartford Stage. Nina Pinchin, Associate Director of Education at Hartford Stage, is directing the production. Hip-Hop dance instructor Brandon Couloute returns as choreographer, and former Breakdancing Shakespeare cast member Gina Salvatore returns as stage manager.

“Hamlet is faced with a truth he finds intolerable: he learns that his uncle/new stepfather is responsible for his father’s recent death – and what’s worse – this smiling murderer is now King,” Pinchin said. “This summer, we hope to explore how we face the intolerable – what we do when hypocrisy and injustice seem to surround us and how we know what’s true and do what’s right in a world where appearances are paramount. This year’s cast is exceptionally talented, and I am so looking forward to diving into this complex and timely text with them.”

Created in 2006, Breakdancing Shakespeare is a paid, six-week summer apprenticeship for students ages 14 through 19 from the Greater Hartford area. Over the course of the program, students learn techniques of breakdancing, physical and vocal characterization, movement, and interpretation of classical text. The students use these skills to put a modern twist on a classic Shakespeare piece to help make the language accessible to audiences of all ages. Previous Breakdancing Shakespeare productions include Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony & Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Performances of Breakdancing Shakespeare: Hamlet will take place August 10-12 at the Hoffman Auditorium in The Bruyette Athenaeum at the University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117. All performances begin at 7 pm. General admission tickets are $5 and may be purchased through the Hartford Stage Box Office at860-527-5151 or online at http://www.hartfordstage.org/education/bds. To learn more about Breakdancing Shakespeare, contact Nina Pinchin at 860-520-7266 or[email protected]