Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is an absurdist, existentialist tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet. The obvious and main source of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern is Shakespeare's Hamlet. Comparisons have also been drawn, though, to Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot due to the presence of two central characters who almost appear to be two halves of a single character. Many plot features are similar as well: the characters pass time by playing Questions, impersonating other characters, and interrupting each other or remaining silent for long periods of time.

The title is taken directly from a passage by an ambassador in the final scene of Hamlet that is directly quoted in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern. The play was first performed by the Royal National Theatre at London's Old Vic Theatre on 11 April 1967. It was directed by Derek Goldby and designed by Desmond Heeley.

“This is a most remarkable and thrilling play. In one bound Mr. Stoppard is asking to be considered as among the finest English-speaking writers of our stage, for this is a work of fascinating distinction..." Clive Barnes, The New York Times

Jamestown Community College’s spring theatre production, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, opens at 8 p.m. on March 7 in Scharmann Theatre. Additional performances will be given on March 8 and 13-15, all at 8 p.m., and on March 9 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $8, general admission, $6, senior citizens and area students, and $4, JCC Faculty Student Association members. Tickets are available by calling JCC’s box office, 716/338-1187.

Michael Magnuson and Eric Schwob are in the title roles, with Ian Bishop portraying The Player and Remington Whitcomb as Hamlet. JCC English professor Dan Callahan will portray Claudius. Other cast members are Dan McCarthy, Jason Wood, Michael Centi, Emily Strong, Mandy Jones, Chris Eklund, Jack Goodwill, Ronald Waclawski, Jessica Abbott, Lindsey Drake, Nicole Pattison, and Don “D.T.” Thomas.