New Works Continue with a Dramedy Inspired by Hamlet

A rollicking new play inspired by Hamlet will open as a staged reading at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) July 25, a continuation of the arts organization’s New Works festival. Featuring an all-star Seattle/Whidbey cast, Bernhardt/Hamlet stars award-winning theatre artist Marya Sea Kaminski and is directed by local playwright Amy Wheeler. Set in 1899, the staged reading profiles international stage celebrity Sarah Bernhardt as she sets out to tackle her most ambitious role yet: Hamlet. A play by American playwright and television writer Theresa Rebeck, Bernhardt/Hamlet offers an innovative combination of high comedy and human drama, with Bernhardt a powerful and charismatic main character embodying Shakespeare's most restless, indecisive man.

The staged reading, with two WICA performances, has an eight-person all-star cast.

CAST

Marya Sea Kaminski,* Sarah Bernhardt* (she / her) is an award-winning theater artist, writer, and educator. As the recent Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Public Theater, Marya’s hallmark initiatives included imaginative adaptations of classics and an unprecedented investment in new work through resident artist and commissioning programs. Recent directing credits include staging an all-femme TEMPEST starring Tamara Tunie and her HOBBIT reimagined as a theatrical D&D tabletop game with life-sized puppets by Matt Acheson. As a performer, Marya has played titular roles in MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE (Seattle Rep), ELECTRA (Seattle Shakespeare), and HEDDA GABLER: BLAHBLAHBLAHBANG! (On the Boards). As Associate Artistic Director at Seattle Repertory Theatre she founded Public Works Seattle, a transformative initiative inviting new communities into the theater and onto the stage. She is a founding co-artistic director of Washington Ensemble Theatre, and over her career has commissioned and developed dozens of new works. Marya has received a Genius Award from The Stranger, and recognition as Artist of the Year by Seattle Magazine.

Miguel Castellano, Edmond Rostand

Michael Place, Alphonse Mucha

Jeff Natter, Constant Coquelin

Andi Alhadeff, Lysette

Olena Hodges, Rosamond

Miles Harrison, Francois / Louis

Jacob Guzman, Maurice / Raoul

“We’re thrilled to see the continuation of our New Works festival with Bernhardt/Hamlet,” said WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan. “Each year, our New Works festival is a vibrant incubator for bold new voices in theatre. With this staged reading, we’re offering patrons the opportunity to experience this powerful story, bringing to life the artistic legacy of a historical icon. Sarah Bernhardt made history in the late 1800s when she portrayed Shakespeare’s Hamlet on the stage. Now we can share in that, with patrons witnessing the revolutionary role in an inspired way. Art brings new experiences to life, and this is a delightful example of storytelling that redefines what Shakespeare looks like through a modern lens.”

To learn more about the New Works festival and to purchase tickets to one of the Bernhardt/Hamlet staged readings, visit WICAonline.org.