Actors with Down syndrome take center stage in ‘Hamlet’ on Oct. 13

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A poignant adaptation of a Shakespeare classic provides actors with Down syndrome a role in the spotlight. Teatro La Plaza will make its Penn State debut with “Hamlet” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Call the Arts Ticket Center at 814-863-0255, or visit “Hamlet” online for more information and to purchase tickets. The Center for the Performing Arts and the Arts Ticket Center are parts of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture.

The production is presented in Spanish with English captions.

“Hamlet” connects William Shakespeare’s classic text and the cast members’ lives in a bold, reconstructed narrative style. Directed by Chela de Ferrari, the actors alternate reciting scenes and passages from the playwright’s original text to deliver an irreverent and honest portrayal of humanity.

Teatro La Plaza, a theater and creative space based in Peru, explores new and classic plays that question, provoke and surprise. Since 2019, the company has performed “Hamlet” in more than 20 countries. “Hamlet” is presented by Aurora Nova.

The actors ‘choose life’

CPA Director Sita Frederick called Teatro La Plaza’s production “one of the most inspiring plays I have seen, full stop.”

“Shakespeare’s most famous play is combined with the lived experiences of eight Peruvian performers with Down syndrome,” she said. “The characters reveal, wrestle with and overcome barriers. The actors share roles, interview previous ‘Hamlets’ by video, incorporate audience members, and ultimately choose to celebrate life instead of spiraling into inevitable death and rage.”

Watch a preview of Teatro La Plaza “Hamlet.”

“Hamlet” is one of the featured programs in a year-long series created by the Performing Arts and Disability Collaborative, a new initiative made possible in part by a Penn State Humanities Institute Colloquia grant. Visit Performing Arts and Disability Collaborative for more information.

For fans of

Shakespeare classics

Psychology and the human condition

Disability affirmation and advocacy

Let’s Dance Workshop for All Ages, All Abilities

Accessibility

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided for this performance. Contact the Arts Ticket Center via email or by calling 814-863‑0255 no later than Tuesday, Sept, 29, to discuss ASL seating preferences.

Eisenhower Auditorium is certified by KultureCity as a sensory-friendly venue. One goal of the Center for the Performing Arts is to offer everyone an opportunity to enjoy an event, regardless of a guest’s invisible neurodisabilities such as dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and autism.

Guests are welcome to visit a designated quiet space on the lounge level, or sign out a variety of items to help self-regulate, including noise-reducing earmuffs, anti-strobe glasses, lap pads and carefully curated sensory tools. The KultureCity app helps reduce uncertainty by providing pre-visit social stories, so guests know what to expect.

Read about the KultureCity certification.

Prepare for your arrival with a pre-visit social story.

Click for available accessibility services.

Acknowledgments

Sponsored by

Richard R. Brown and Sandra Zaremba

Geisinger

A grant from the University Park Fee Board makes student prices possible.

Accessibility services are provided by Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment.

Find us

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, a unit of the College of Art & Architecture, aspires to create connected, sustainable, and equitable communities, where everyone experiences joy, belonging and creativity.

For more information about the season, visit the Center for the Performing Arts online, Facebook and Instagram.