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Rosencrantz & Guildenstern 
are dead
By Tom Stoppard, directed by Josh short

EXTENDED DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND! 
NOW THRU february 14

ABOUT ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD:  
Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play. In Tom Stoppard's best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead was first staged at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 24, 1966, by the Oxford Theatre Group. It premiered in London at the Old Vic on April 11, 1967. WINNER! Tony® Award for Best Play & WINNER! NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play

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NEWS & REVIEWS

"Accessible, laugh-out-loud funny and  engrossing...It’s a familiar story, but Wilbury Theatre Group’s journey to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s end is nothing short of magical – due, in part, to the fact that director Josh Short orchestrated some of the best ensemble acting I’ve seen this season." -RI Monthly

"When they are firing on all cylinders, as they are here, there is nobody better than Wilbury Group at creating this type of surprising, entertaining and immersive theater...It is a unique and exciting experience in all the best ways. With a limited number of seats, be sure to get your ticket early so you don't miss it."-BroadwayWorld

"Clever, imaginative...this is not what you’d call light fare. But the Wilbury, with clear direction from Josh Short, has come up with a challenging night of theater that is sure to  stretch your mind."-The Providence Journal

"The Wilbury Theatre Group's sharp, compelling production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead reminds audiences of the renowned writer's significance, as well as the theater company's impressive talent and strength...There's no denying Hamlet had a tendency to procrastinate, but don't think twice about spending the evening with his friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at The Wilbury Theatre Group." -Edge Providence

"The best part of Wilbury Group’s production is that it captures the playfulness and humor, both high-brow and low-brow... Fortunately for the comedy, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a lot closer in tone to the Marx Brothers than one of the targets of its satire, Waiting for Godot, is to Laurel and Hardy. It’s the most fun you’re likely to have at a hanging." -Motif Magazine

"For a splendid rendition of Stoppard's absurdist, existentialist play, be sure to catch Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Wilbury Group. The combined talents of the directing and acting of this piece make it one of the must see shows of this winter season." -Theater Mirror 

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CAST

Patrick Saunders, Guildenstern
Joshua Andrews, Rosencrantz
David Tessier, The Player
Nile Hawver, Hamlet
Julia Bartoletti, Tragedian/Ophelia
Andrea Carlin, Tragedian
Cory Crew, Tragedian/Claudius
Sam Dumas, Alfred
Seth Finkle, Tragedian
Melissa Penick, Tragedian/Gertrude
Stuart Wilson, Tragedian/Polonius

Crew

Scenic Design by Monica Shinn
Light Design by Gerritt Turner
Costume Design by Meg Donnelly
Sound Design by Terry Shea
Projection Design by Adam O'Brien
Music Direction by Marc Kaplan
Stage Management by Polly Feliciano

Production Manager Natalie Brough; Assistant Director Kate Kataja;
Percussionist Tom Grace; Fight Choreography by Norman Beauregard; Movement by Shura Baryshnikov

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CALENDAR OF PERFORMANCES

Thursday, January 22, 7:30pm preview
Friday, January 23, 7:30pm preview
Saturday, January 24, 7:30pm preview
Sunday, January 25, 7:30pm PWYC
Wednesday, January 28, 7:30pm press/opening
Thursday, January 29, 7:30pm*
Friday, January 30, 7:30pm
Saturday, January 31, 7:30pm
Sunday, February 1, 2:00pm
Thursday, February 5, 7:30pm*
Friday, February 6, 7:30pm
Saturday, February 7, 7:30pm
Thursday, February 12, 7:30pm ADDED PERFORMANCE
Friday, February 13, 7:30pm ADDED PERFORMANCE
Saturday, February 14, 7:30pm ADDED PERFORMANCE

*POST-SHOW TALKBACKS

Backstage photos!

Looking for more behind-the-scenes photos? visit our instagram feed for backstage photos from the cast & crew.

interested In 
Learning More? 
JOIN US FOR OUR 
TALKBACK SERIES!

Completely free and always open to the public, join us for talkbacks around the themes and topics explored in ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD following
Thursday evening performances. 

Thursday, January 29th 
Fate, Free Will, and What Does It All Really Mean Anyway?
Throughout the play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern try to find their place and purpose in the world of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and we see them have the most freedom when they manage to get out of the action of the Hamlet storyline, but in these times they often find themselves bored and listless. The relationship between Stoppard's play and Shakespeare's allows Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead to ask the question: to what degree do fate and chance control our own lives? 

Join philosopher Andrew Pessin (fresh off his recent appearance as "The Genius" on the Late Show with David Letterman) with Rabbi Barry Dolinger of Beth Shalom and Jakob Thibault of The Church of the Holy Paraclete for a lively discussion of fate vs. free will, and what life's all about. 


Thursday, February 5th
Making Sense of Absurdity
Despite an almost fifty-year run of award-winning, and critically acclaimed, and commercially successful plays, from Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1967) to Rock and Roll (2006), Tom Stoppard remains among the most controversial and popular playwrights today. What makes Stoppard's work resound so much with audiences and theatre artists alike? And what's with all the weird, morbid stuff?

Join celebrated playwright Erik Ehn, Chair of Brown University's Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, and the Wilbury Group's Artistic Director Josh Short for a conversation towards understanding and appreciating one of the most complex and distinctive playwrights of our time.

For more information on our talkback series, contact Education Director Seth Finkle at (401) 400-7100 x3, or seth@thewilburygroup.org.