The last two theatrical productions at SUNY Jamestown Community College have had a Shakespearean flavor, and the spring performance will continue the JCC Uncommoners love affair with the iconic playwright.
The college’s theatrical group presents “Hamlet” at 7:30 p.m. March 14, 15, and 16, with a 2:30 p.m. performance also on March 16. The production will be performed in a black box format, so seating is limited to 100 per show.
Emily Drew, artist in residence through Creatives Rebuild New York, is again in the director’s seat for the Uncommoners production. The long-time Jamestown native graduated from Jamestown High School and completed her professional performance training at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Shakespeare and Company. Drew is a founding member of Madness Most Discreet Theatre Co., a performance collective creating interactive reimaginings of classical texts.
On the heels of her directorial debut at JCC a year ago with “Romeo and Juliet,” Drew noticed that the fall production, “Something Rotten,” made many references to “Hamlet.” She thought it would be fun to take a deeper dive into the original work with her second directorial effort at the college.
“In diving back into the text, I found a new love for Hamlet,” Drew said. “I’ve cut the text to make it accessible to modern audiences and to focus on the themes of love and relationships, power and grief, which are so relatable that I can’t imagine doing any other play.”
Drew says the depth of talent in the cast has only added to her appreciation for “Hamlet.”
“I’m shocked by the level of skill and understanding our incredibly talented actors have,” Drew said. “It is more exciting by the day to explore the themes of this story, and the characters, with such a gifted cast.”
Cast members for “Hamlet” include Morgan Tobio of New Haven, Conn., as Hamlet; Cal Boozel of French Creek as Ophelia; Ethan Tyger of Lakewood as Polonius; Camden Drayer as Laertes, Colin Drayer as Horatio, and Kaden Weber as Claudius, all of Warren, Pa.; Karlie Blodien of Jamestown and Rachel Leroy of Lakewood as Gertrude; and Missy Wilcox of Falconer as Rosencrantz.
Tobio, in her last semester at SUNY JCC, has had a significant role in every Uncommoners production since she arrived on campus. Her first performance in high school was “Romeo and Juliet.” Tobio plays the part of Hamlet, and her previous experience allows her to explore this role with more depth.
“You spend so much time getting to know these characters and memorizing the beautiful text that it’s hard not to fall in love with it," Tobio said. “Trying to apply modern or more relatable emotion to classical literary text is a skill that I have worked very hard to develop, so I’m excited to explore it all the more.”
Tickets are available online at sunyjcc.edu/uncommoners. Prices are $12 general admission; $10 for Faculty Student Association members, senior citizens, and students; and $7 for JCC students with a student ID.
Drew is thankful the college has supported her work. While the limited seating will reduce the number of tickets sold, it will be seen by many as a number of performances for area schools are planned.
“I’m really grateful JCC is investing in the arts the way that they have,” Drew said, “It takes time to build community arts programming and it can be challenging when cultural capital is continually viewed through an economic lens — the arts are so much more than the money they make. JCC deserves kudos for making visual and performing arts a priority.”