I HATE HAMLET

On October 18, Door Shakespeare presented a staged reading of Paul Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet. Take a look at the program (below), including actor biographies and production information.

Reading Series presents…

I Hate Hamlet

By Paul Rudnick

Directed by Michael Stebbins*

CAST

Felicia Dantine…………………….…………………………….…………………………..Rána Roman*

Andrew Rally…………………………………………..……………..….…………..Alexander Johnson

Deirdre McDavey………………………………………….……………………………..Christine Saenz

Lillian Troy…………………..…………………………….……………………………..Peggy O’Connell*

John Barrymore …………………………………………………………………………Charles Fraser*

Gary Peter Leftkowitz…………………..…………………..…………………………………Alex Sabin

I Hate Hamlet is presented by special agreement with Dramatists Play Service.

Originally produced by Jujamcyn Theatres, James B. Freydberg, Robert G. Perkins, Margo Lion.

Original production directed by Michael Engler.

Save the date…

December 11, 12  Selections from David Sedaris’ Holidays on Ice.

The Door Shakespeare reading series is sponsored in part by Steve and Jackie Kane, as well as support from Door County Medical Center, Wisconsin Arts Board, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

*Member, Actors’ Equity Association

Meet the cast

Charles Fraser (John Barrymore) appeared in Door Shakespeare’s streaming production of The Comedy of Errors.  He has spent the last thirty years acting in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, with Park Square Theatre, Yellow Tree Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Jungle Theatre, History Theatre, Guthrie Theater, and Theatre de la Jeune Lune, among others.  He has also performed at New Stage Theatre in Mississippi, Lincoln Amphitheatre in Indiana, and  aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic.

Alexander Johnson (Andrew Rally) is a Chicago-based actor overjoyed to safely return to live performance with Door Shakespeare. Recent credits include Door Shakespeare’s virtual production of Rosalind, the short musical film H.M.U. created by Milwaukee native Austin Winter, and various productions throughout Wisconsin and Illinois as a founding member of Veteran Outreach Theatre. He holds a BA in Theatre Performance and Music Theatre from Carthage College and continues his training with The Second City and Acting Studio Chicago. A huge thank you to the entire Door Shakespeare community for supporting live theatre and warmly welcoming him aboard!

Peggy O’Connell (Lillian Troy) Ms. O’Connell appeared on Broadway alongside Tommy Tune and Sandy Duncan in My One and Only. She has appeared extensively at The Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis) and the History Theatre (St. Paul) as well as La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego), Seattle Rep, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Rána Roman (Felicia Dantine) is a Milwaukee native and a proud graduate of Milwaukee H.S. of the Arts. She is tickled to make her Door Shakespeare debut in I Hate Hamlet.  Rána was most recently seen in On the Wings of Mariposa  (Mami) at First Stage Theatre, Kiss Me Kate (Kate/Lili) at Skylight Music Theatre, and Life Sucks (Ella) at Forward Theater of Madison, where she is also a member of the Advisory Company. Coming up this season you can see Rána reprise her role as Mrs. Cratchit in the Milwaukee Rep’s A Christmas Carol. Thank God, theatre is rising back to LIFE!

Alex M. Sabin (Gary Peter Leftkowitz) is a Drama graduate of UWSP; his passions have allowed him to share the stage with several Wisconsin companies, such as Main Street Theatre Collective, Theatre Z, NEWDO, St. Norbert College Music Theatre, The Dance Company, Evergreen Productions, and Third Avenue Playhouse (now, Third Avenue Playworks). His most recent credits are as Paul Pretzel in a reading of The Kissing Girl with TAP, and Tiresias/Sentry in Antigone with MSTC. He loves to cook, is a devoted cat-dad, and makes cold brew coffee; he would also like to thank his family for their love and support.

Christine Saenz (Deirdre McDavey) is absolutely thrilled to be making her Door Shakespeare debut! She was last seen in TAP’s virtual reading of A Lost Leonardo as Lucrezia Borgia, as well as on stage in Tibet Through The Red Box with Children’s Theatre of Madison. Other credits include Leading Ladies, Scapino!, and A Piece of My Heart with UnityTheatre in Brenham, TX. Christine is also a singer/songwriter and has acted in numerous short films. Born and raised in Houston, TX, she holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Sam Houston State University. She has recently made Madison, WI her new home and would like to thank her director Michael Stebbins for the singular opportunity to visit and work in gorgeous Door County! 

Michael Stebbins (Director) is Door Shakespeare’s Producing Artistic Director. In addition to being seen on Door Shakespeare’s stage as the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2019’s Henry V, he has appeared on professional stages across the country, from NYC’s The Public Theater/NYSF and the Mint Theatre Company, to California’s Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and many states in between. Wisconsin credits include Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Optimist Theatre (aka Milwaukee’s Shakespeare in the Park), Skylight Music Theatre, Theatre Gigante, and Peninsula Players. Door Shakespeare directing credits include the 2021 summer production of Hamlet, as well as the virtual productions of The Comedy of Errors and J. M. Barrie’s Rosalind. 

Paul Rudnick (Playwright) is a playwright, novelist, essayist, and screenwriter, whom the New York Times has called, “one of our pre-eminent humorists.” His plays have been produced both on and off Broadway and around the world, and include Jeffrey, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla, Regrets Only, and The New Century. He has won an Obie Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and the John Gassner Playwriting Award. His novels include Social Disease and I’ll Take It, both from Knopf. He’s a regular contributor to The New Yorker and his articles and essays have also appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Vogue, and Vanity Fair.

www.doorshakespeare.com