Cancelled due to International Artist Visas not being secured. Please contact boxoffice@ps21chatham.org if you would like to use your tickets for a different performance or donate them to support our season.
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INTERNATIONAL THEATER
HAMLET
Chela De Ferrari
Teatro La Plaza (Peru)
New York Premiere
July 19 & 20, 8 pm, PS21 Pavilion Theater
Peruvian theatre company Teatro La Plaza reinvents Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet into a joyful and enigmatic production. Inspired by the famous monologue, ‘To Be or Not To Be’ is incorporated into a rap performed by eight actors. Rather than telling one man’s story, director and writer Chela De Ferrari‘s interpretation hones in on the importance of community.
In this retelling of Shakespeare, the stories of people with Down’s syndrome take centre stage, when historically they have been relegated to the background. Weaving together a free version of the text with personal anecdotes from the cast, De Ferrari brings new meaning to the 400-year-old play and asks how can those with Down’s syndrome exist in a world that continually sets out to exclude them?
Teatro La Plaza has a history of producing work that questions and surprises their audience. Known for pushing boundaries and creating bold new versions of Shakespearean dramas, this Hamlet is zesty and enchanting while also staying true to the original tragedy.
Copresented with the 2024 International Hispanic Theater Festival of Miami
Chela De Ferrari served as the artistic director of Teatro La Plaza until 2021. Born in Lima, she studied painting at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras and theater at the Club de Teatro de Lima. She spent five years in Córdoba, Argentina, directing the group EXTRAS and staging collective creations and Argentine plays. Upon her return to Peru, she directed several productions at the PUCP (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru) Cultural Center. In 2017, she was appointed to the National Cultural Advisory Commission of the Ministry of Culture, Peru.
Written and directed by: Chela De Ferrari.
Direction and attached dramaturgy: Jonathan Oliveros, Claudia Tangoa and Luis Alberto León.
Cast: Octavio Bernaza, Jaime Cruz, Lucas Demarchi, Manuel García, Diana Gutiérrez, Cristina León Barandiarán, Ximena Rodríguez and Álvaro Toledo.
