Hamlet in the American Revolution
It's 1776. A time of revolution in America and across the Atlantic, but the Enlightenment's bright rays haven't illuminated some of Denmark's darkest and most shameful secrets. Hamlet is tasked by his father's ghost to avenge his murder and to bring democracy to the country. The escaped slave Fortinbras leads a rebellion against the monarchy. Angry young Ophelia joins the insurrection and dies on the barricades. Horatio is an Enlightenment woman of science. Claudius, Polonius and Gertrude believe Hamlet's passion for democracy has made him insane. The words of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley and Thomas Paine thunder through Elsinore. Who's America's Secret Founding Father? William Shakespeare!
Presented by Lightning Rod Theater
Oct 23 - Nov 22, 2026