Theater Program Presents “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”

The Rutgers University–Camden theater program will combine film and acting in a lively, interdisciplinary production of Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.”

Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, to Saturday, Nov. 22, in the Black Box Studio Theater on the Rutgers–Camden campus. There will also be special mid-morning matinee performances at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, and Friday, Nov. 21, and matinee performances at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 23.

Considered Stoppard’s pivotal masterpiece, the play features the story of Shakespeare’s classic “Hamlet” told through the point of view of two minor characters: Prince Hamlet’s old college friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the seekers of great truths. As the duo attempts to understand their roles in an Elsinore turned upside-down, what becomes certain to them is the impossibility of certainty itself.

Performed in an intimate-arena format, this innovative production combines acting and filmic design in a way that is sure to turn guests’ perceptions around and around.

Sophomore English major Bill Epstein of Glen Rock, a graduate of Glen Rock High School, and senior theater major Alex Scheinberg of Collingswood, a graduate of Collingswood High School, are in the title roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, respectively.

Paul Bernstein, an associate professor of theater, will direct the show, and Robert Emmons, an associate faculty member of fine arts, will collaborate on its filmic elements.

James Mobley, technical director of the theater program at Rutgers–Camden, is the set designer, and Stefán Örn Arnarson, technical theater coordinator at Rutgers–Camden, will handle sound design. Rutgers–Camden students Jay Ballard and Ricardo Rivera will handle stage management duties, and student Anna Laughlin will handle properties.

Tickets are $12 for general admission; $10 for senior citizens, faculty, staff, and alumni; and $7 for non-Rutgers students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Impact Booth, located in the Campus Center, at 856-225-6211. Tickets will also be sold at the box office beginning two hours prior to curtain time. Please be advised that the box office can only accept cash.

Seating is strictly limited to 100 persons per performance. Guests are encouraged to arrive early or purchase tickets in advance.

The Black Box Studio Theater is located in the Fine Arts Complex, on Third Street, between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Rutgers–Camden campus.

For directions to Rutgers–Camden, visit camden.rutgers.edu/resources/getting-to-campus.

For more information, visit rutgerscamdentheater.com. To arrange tickets for the mid-morning matinees, contact Jake Hufner at 856-225-2870 or jhufner@camden.rutgers.edu, or Maria Buckley at 856-225-6176 or maria.buckley@camden.rutgers.edu.