Teatro La Plaza brings contemporary ‘Hamlet’ to Penn State
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UNIVERSITY PARK -- A contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" featuring Peruvian actors with Down syndrome will take the stage at Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium next month.
Teatro La Plaza will make its Penn State debut at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13. The production will be presented in Spanish with English captions.
Directed by Chela de Ferrari, the adaptation combines Shakespeare's text with the lived experiences of its performers. Actors alternate between scenes and passages from the original play and material drawn from their own lives.
Teatro La Plaza is a theater and creative space based in Peru that produces contemporary and classic works. The company has performed "Hamlet" in more than 20 countries since 2019.
Sita Frederick, director of Penn State's Center for the Performing Arts, called the production "one of the most inspiring plays I have seen, full stop."
"Shakespeare's most famous play is combined with the lived experiences of eight Peruvian performers with Down syndrome," Frederick said. "The characters reveal, wrestle with and overcome barriers. The actors share roles, interview previous 'Hamlets' by video, incorporate audience members, and ultimately choose to celebrate life instead of spiraling into inevitable death and rage."
The performance is part of a yearlong series organized by Penn State's Performing Arts and Disability Collaborative, an initiative supported in part by a Penn State Humanities Institute Colloquia grant.
Tickets cost $39 for adults, $19 for those 18 and younger and $14 for University Park students. Tickets are available through the Arts Ticket Center. They also may be purchased by calling (814) 863-0255 or in person from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at Eisenhower Auditorium.
American Sign Language interpretation and audio description will be available for the performance. Requests for either service must be made by Tuesday, Sept. 29. Those seeking ASL interpretation can contact the Arts Ticket Center at (814) 863-0255. Audio description reservations can be made through the Sight Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania at (814) 238-0132.
Eisenhower Auditorium also is certified by KultureCity as a sensory-friendly venue. A designated quiet space and sensory tools, including noise-reducing earmuffs, anti-strobe glasses and lap pads, are available to guests.
The Center for the Performing Arts is part of Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture.