Scenes
Act I
Scene 1: A Parapet of the Castle Elsinore, one Winter’s night
Scene 2: The Throne Room
Scene 3: The Apartment of Polonius
Scene 4: The Parapet and Woods Surrounding Castle Elsinore
Scene 5: The Apartment of Polonius
Scene 6: The Throne Room, morning
Scene 7: The Throne Room, later that day
Scene 8: The Throne Room, that evening
Act II
Scene 1: The Chapel within the castle
Scene 2: The Queen's Bed Chamber
Scene 3: A Room in the Castle
Scene 4: A Room in the Castle
Scene 5: The King's Private Chamber
Scene 6: A Graveyard
Scene 7: The Throne Room
Dramatis Personae
Francisco, a guard
Barnardo, a guard
Horatio, scholar and friend to Prince Hamlet
Ghost of the late King Hamlet
Claudius, new King of Denmark
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark
Polonius, advisor to the Crown
Laertes, son of Polonius
Ophelia, daughter of Polonius
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Ghost of late King Hamlet
Rosencrantz, schoolfriend of Prince Hamlet
Guildenstern, schoolfriend of Prince Hamlet
The Players—a troupe of visiting actors
Clowns—diggers of graves
Priest—to officiate at the grave
Osric, a member of Denmark society
Courtier
Director's Note
In June of 2024, at the Stone Circle Theatre, right in the middle of my moment being the Luckiest Actor in the World, performing my self-penned solo show about how Will Shakespeare got bonded to my DNA, I had the random thought—‘This church would be a great place to do ‘Hamlet’.
Thankfully, City Gate Productions and the Stone Circle Theatre agreed with me, which is how you ended up here. Why ‘Hamlet’? Because it’s Mt. Everest. It’s the definition of ‘Challenge’—long, complicated, contradictory, frustrating and ultimately, an unresolved tragedy. Will Shakespeare left us lots of questions and answers none of them. He hints...but leaves all choices open. This play is a journey. It’s an enormous effort for the actors with discoveries and epiphanies that arrive unbidden and on no schedule.
How do you get this done? You need actors (and a crew) with a particular sharpened discipline and rigorous skill set and a nascent camaraderie that you can’t manufacture—it has to come from within. You pray for it.
I’m not at all a religious person, but I can say in all humility and gratitude I have been blessed with exactly these people. This crew. This tribe. Our Gang.
All gratitude to the author (sorry about the cuts), City Gate, Stone Circle, Regina, producer and a super-charger of pure positivity, to Amanda, my right hand and She-Who-Has-My-Back, Eli, stupendous stage manager found at the Zero Hour, to Tim, producer, actor, and forever friend and my blood brother in all this roller-coaster craziness, and as always, to Daria who always smiles from the couch and says ‘So how’d it go?’ We’re okay, babe. We’re okay.
~Jim Haines
cast and crew bios
Gage (HAMLET), being a huge Shakespeare lover, cannot overstate how thrilled they are to be performing Hamlet with such a wonderful group of fellow Shakespeare lovers. A board member of City Gate, they have appeared in two of their past productions; 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress (Mindy) and Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Germaine). Other Shakespeare credits include Twelfth Night, Gage’s favorite Shakespeare play, appearing as both Sir Toby Belch, and Viola, in two separate productions. And just recently, as Banquo in Macbeth, with Kulture Kanonen. Huge thank you to literally everyone who showed up, especially Mom and Dad (Hi!!). It’s a gift that you’re here. @a_m_gage.
Naomi Yuchi Townsend 唐毓棋 (OPHELIA) is a Taiwanese and British-Filipino actor, based in NYC and London. Past theatre credits include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (MTC Studios) and American Girl (A.R.T./New York). Film credits include Harriet, Lylah and the Spider (FOFF), Each Solitary Moment (First Film Festival, Zinebi), and Going Dark. Love and gratitude to her parents, her sister Mirabelle, dearest friends and manager at Authentic. To this vibrant and wonderful team: love you all! All that I have to offer as an artist is the revelation of my soul -- Eleanora Duse. BFA: NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Gilberto Ron (CLAUDIUS) - Member of the Barefoot Theatre Company since 2001 and of El Repertorio Espanol since 2002, Previously portrayed: Marc Antony, Antony and Cleopatra at the Brooklyn Lyceum, Macbeth, Macbeth at the Ludlow St. Theatre, Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar at the Secret Theater, Achilles, Troilus and Cressida, at the American Theater of Actors, Henry (Directed), Henry the Fifth, at the Elizabeth Playhouse, Petruchio (Directed), The Taming of the Shrew, at the Elizabeth Playhouse, Claudius, Hamlet, Teatro La Tea. Thanks to the team at City Gate Productions for giving me another chance to get it right, together with this talented troupe of artists.
Sanam Erfani (GERTRUDE) is an award winning actress, holding an MFA in Acting from Columbia University. Mentored by the late-greats, Kristin Linklater and Ellen Stewart, Sanam passionately plays dynamic roles with authentic naturalism. Off-off Broadway roles: “Cleopatra” (Lenfest), “Liminal Archives” (New Ohio), “Miss Lilly Gets Boned” (New Ohio). Sanam has performed in nine award winning official selection films, and has been featured in over 45 film festivals to date. Recent film roles: award winning feature “The World Drops Dead,” award winning short “The Refuge,” award winning feature “Imitation Girl” (Amazon). A screenwriter and playwright, a few of her produced plays include: “Attraction” (Hudson Guild), “Last Import Soliloquy” (12 character solo show, Joyce SoHo), “La Liberata” (Dixon Place - adaptation of Doll’s House & Miss Julie). Sanam is directing and acting in her original Sci-fi film, SPELLS, filming December 2025. A True honor to bring Gertrude to light with this Superb team!
Bill McAndrews (POLONIUS) is an experienced New York based film and stage actor who is excited to be working with City Gate Productions! Select theater roles include Juror #9 (12 Angry Men), Dr. Stone (A Few Good Men), Cardinal Wolsey (A Man for all Seasons), Master Mayor (WUTOPIA at Columbia Stages), and Jonhan Von Struck (Amadeus). Selected Feature film roles include Politician (Political War 2024), and District Attorney (Highway 905), along with independent film roles Arthur (Mulligan – 2024 Winner Trinity Film Festival Screener’s Choice Award) and soon to be released independent film Arthur (Avita). Love to Marjorie. Carpe Diem!
Matt Tijmstra (LAERTES) is thrilled to be part of his first City Gate production! Selected Credits: Hamlet (Hamlet), 1776 (Thomas Jefferson), Julius Caesar (Cassius), Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino), No Exit (Garcin). 2025 is the second year that he performed in Julius Caesar, a Renaissance Faire, and Hamlet in that order. Much love to Jim, the cast and crew, and my lovely wife Julie, who makes this all worth it.
Margaret J. Leisenheimer (HORATIO) is an actor, singer, and HVAC extraordinaire (what like it's hard?) based out of the great state of NJ. She was born and raised in Maspeth, Queens, and is thrilled to be back on the other side of the island performing with CityGate once again! Previous roles with CityGate include Frances in "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" and Dusty in "POTUS". All thanks in the world to her husband, Jack, as well as her friends and family for their support. Love you most! Psst: follow her on instagram if you want to stay in the loop about her career, her adventures, and her dog: @_margaretjean.
Francoise Traxler (FRANCISCO/ROSENCRANTZ) is so grateful for the opportunity to bring this hot new playwright’s underrated play to life! NYC credits include Mortadella in “Café Resistance” at Theatre for the New City, Detective Miller in “Caitlyn Clark Murdered My Grandmother” at The Chain, and Dr. Krauss in “Line of Inquiry” at the New York Theatre Festival. Some Shakespeare (look him up!) credits include Richard III in Henry VI pt. 3 at Prague Shakespeare, Hermione in “The Winter’s Tale” with Flatwater Shakespeare, and Touchstone in “As You Like It” with Struts & Frets Theatre. Francoise would like to thank her parents, friends, family, and Maxie Cat for their endless love and support.
Josh Saffran Sedecca (BARNARDO/GUILDENSTERN) is thrilled to return to City Gate after playing Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile. He’s particularly excited to be in Hamlet, as he loves a good Danish. Some of his recent credits include Lucio in Measure for Measure and Avigdor in Yentl. Of all of the famous lines from this play, his favorite is Act V, Scene ii, line 302: “No.”
Toni Watterson (LUCIANUS/OSRIC) is a NYC-based actor, writer, and clown. She holds a BA in Performing Arts & Literature from Sarah Lawrence College (‘22) and has continued her training at the British American Drama Academy, the HB Studio, and the Barrow Group. She’s a member of The Department of Fools, a clown troupe, and The Snarks, a women’s theater company. Toni is thrilled to be working with CityGate for a third time, having previously acted in Picasso at the Lapin Agile and having written one of the two plays featured in their one act showcase, “Voices at the Gate.” She’s very excited to have gotten to work with many of her fellow Picasso alumni, and would like to extend a big thank you to Jim for giving her the opportunity to perform Shakespeare for the first time in her career. Recent credits include SHE’S DEAD!! (Flaminia) and SANDY TOES & SALTY KISSES (Candy).
Mike Sause (GHOST/PLAYER KING) is an actor from Cincinnati, Ohio and is thrilled to be making his debut with City Gate with this very giving and talented cast! He last got to perform the Bard as part of the long-running off-Broadway show, Drunk Shakespeare (Macbeth). Some favorite gigs include performing a new adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie" on an historic barge in Red Hook, and as one of the hosts for Bally Sports Trivia, a second-screen trivia game that aired during Cincinnati Reds games. He's also performed hundreds of sketch comedy and improv shows in some of the finest theaters (and dingy bar basements) all around the city. This year, he got to take an incredible Shakespeare class taught by renowned Broadway actor Patrick Page. Love to Sriya and Mishti. Who Dey!
Annie Saenger (PLAYER QUEEN/REVEREND) is a classically trained actress and storyteller who loves nothing more than making up a world and disappearing into it. Selected credits include: Love’s Labour’s Lost (workshop, Fiasco Theater); Measure for Measure (Target Margin); Art Gets What It Wants (First Kiss); The Tempest (Devil’s Isle); Romeo & Juliet (Astoria Players); Twelfth Night (Arachne); Romeo & Juliet (Rooted Voyageurs); Measure for Measure (A Very Good Theater Company); Macbeth (Stag & Lion); as u like it (Yale School of Drama). Training: Fiasco Theater Company, Shakespeare & Company, BADA; BA Yale University. Annie is also a teaching artist with the Shakespeare Forum and an artist in residence with Galileo Theatre Company. Off stage, Annie has a bad Dungeons & Dragons habit and is supposed to be working on the sequel to her one-woman play Hamlet? but is currently doing anything else.
Chrissy Young (COURTIER) is excited for her second professional tech position! In the past, she has enjoyed creating sets back home in Texas and is excited to bring her experience to NYC. She would like to thank Elijah Laurence for recommending her for this position and encouraging her passion to create for the arts.
Friedrich Steinem (CLOWN 1) has little to no stage credits to his name. It’s as if he didn’t exist until 6 weeks ago! He would like to thank his ehefrau and Kinder for giving him this chance to conquer the stage!
Jim Haines -Director Jim is a familiar presence on stage in Queens and Manhattan for several decades, this is Jim’s first directorial effort in more years than he would care to admit. Jim is grateful to City Gate Productions, partners and friends, for their generous support, to The Hardest Working Cast Ever, to The Commando Crew keeping it all moving, to Will Shakespeare for keeping it all interesting, and as always, to Daria for her smiles. The rest is silence.
Amanda Montoni - Assistant Director
Amanda Montoni (Assistant Director) is honored to be working with Director Jim Haines for Hamlet. She’s thrilled to be back working with City Gate Productions! Past directing credits include All Shook Up (Royal Star Theatre), Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (City Gate Productions), and The Addams Family (Maggie’s Little Theatre). When not working on a theatre production, you can catch her doing readings from her books and recording The Sweet Madness Podcast. Congrats to the entire Hamlet cast and team! It’s been magical. www.amandamontoni.com
Elijah Laurence - Stage Manager
Elijah Laurence (he/him) is a queer and trans singer/dancer/techie based in NYC. He is absolutely jazzed to play a hand in this show! While attending AMDA in 2023-24, he developed a love for all things backstage, and since graduating he’s co-produced, assistant directed, and stage managed the original cast of ROWAN with his amazing partner Apollo Houston. He’d like to thank this awesome cast and crew at City Gate for letting him be a part of this production. He’d also like to thank his parents, friends, and his cat Willow for always keeping it real. IG: @eli.laur.555
Sarah Hudkins - Costumes Master
Sarah Hudkins has been looking forward to this production all summer! Though she started cosplaying almost 20 years ago, her first venture backstage was Secret Theatre's 2024 production of A Christmas Carol and she has jumped into professional costuming with both feet: she has since worked on Annie Jr., Secret Academy’s Spring 2025 Showcase, and the indie film A Dream for Amy [currently in post-production.] Sarah has truly enjoyed working with the talented people at City Gate. Break a leg! She thanks her family for introducing her to the joys of a creative life, her friends, and her spouse Jon for all his love and support. Instagram: @griffincostumesnyc
Emma Reifschneider - Fight Coordinator
Emma is thrilled to be working with the wonderful City Gate Productions again! City Gate credits include director of Voices at the Gate - a staged reading of two original works, assistant director of POTUS, and assistant director of Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Other credits include Director of Stop Kiss, Assistant Director of She Kills Monsters, and Assistant Fight Choreographer of Unnatural Acts. Emma holds a BA in Theatre Performance from SUNY New Paltz. Break legs!
Hunter Lustberg - Lighting Design
Hunter Lustberg is an actor, director and lighting designer based in Brooklyn. He is the Technical Director and a founding member of Pop Up! Productions - a theater company operating in New York, Chicago and London. Recent lighting design credits include The Yellow Wallpaper (Wayward Son/Bedlam), Alexandria (Pop Up! Productions), Glorianne (Rose Gonzales), Failsafe (Phil Carroll), Designs for Living (938 Collective), and Next to Normal (Pop Up! Productions).
Tim Reifschneider - Producer
Tim is “one man in his time, who has play(ed) many parts”, acting, directing and producing Theater in Queens. Until now he’s managed to avoid involvement in anything to do with the supposed works of William Shakespeare. Thanks to City Gate for funding this endeavor, Jim Haines for boldly going, and his blessed Therese, for being "the pattern of all patience” while wading through a house full of sets and props for lo, these last six months.
Regina Lim Fischedick - Producer
4th show produced at City Gate Productions - preceded by “Lobby Hero”, “Rabbit Hole” and “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”. And now my final act with “Hamlet”. What a week, huh? Lemon, it’s Wednesday. *curtain* \m/
Chrissy Young - Courtier 1
Chrissy is excited for her second professional tech position! In the past, she has enjoyed creating sets back home in Texas and is excited to bring her experience to NYC. She would like to thank Elijah Laurence for recommending her for this position and encouraging her passion to create for the arts.
crew bios
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Curated by our Director Jim Haines
First of all, see every Shakespeare production you can whenever you can. Free theater in the park is everywhere—look for it. You should leave the performance enthralled or disgusted. Be passionate about Shakespeare. it’s fun.
My Shakespeare Guru is a wise gentleman named Deloss Brown.
He teaches a class ‘Acting Shakespeare’s Verse’ in person and on Zoom, and any idea or opinion I have had it’s genesis working with him.
www.delossbrown.com/
The Hamlet films I’ve seen:
‘Hamlet’ (1948) directed, adapted and starring by Lord Laurence Olivier.
Shot in black and white, Olivier won an Academy Award for his performance, and the film won Best Picture. The film is a child of it’s time in style and voice…but hey, it’s Olivier.
‘Hamlet’ (1991) directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson.
It’s a struggle to look past Mel Gibson’s personal issues, but his performance is spot-on, and this is a perfect watch to get the gist of the play. Zeffirelli has the tone right, and the cast is too good to be believed.
‘Hamlet’ (1996) Kenneth Branagh goes the Olivier route by directing, adapting and starring in the only version of the complete Shakespeare text, all 4 hours of it. The period is designed to be very Russian Revolution/Czar Nicholas, and it’s a beautiful film to watch especially in widescreen. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone not a Shakes-nerd. but if you are, you need this one.
‘Hamlet’ (2000) written and directed by Michael Almereyda, set in contemporary New York City. Ethan Hawke plays Hamlet in a corporate setting. It’s ‘Wall Street’ in iambic pentameter, and it’s worth seeing to see Shakespeare not traditional. Bill Murray is Polonius. You need more than that?
‘Hamlet’ (2009) a television film of the Royal Shakespeare Company's modern-dress stage production. Directed by Gregory Doran, it features David Tennant in the title role. Not good. Don’t bother.
Other Shakespeare movies to enlighten:
‘Acting Shakespeare’ is a one-man show of Shakespearean monologues interspersed with theatrical anecdotes devised and performed by Ian McKellen, first performed in 1980 and it was broadcast by PBS in 1982, where I saw it. You want to learn about the author performed by a guy born to do it? Go find this.
‘Looking for Richard’—a 1996 American documentary film directed by Al Pacino. It is a hybrid film, including both a filmed performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a documentary element which explores a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture.
It explains so much of Al’s love for Shakespeare and why we all should, it also has a thousand famous cameos. Who knew Al had it in him?
Books:
Shakespeare: The World as Stage (2016) by Bill Bryson
William Shakespeare left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition arranged around scant facts. With a steady hand, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal what we actually know, not what we guess happened.
Modern Hamlets & Their Soliloquies (2002) by Mary Z. Maher
For Actors’ Eyes Only. How to tackle arguably the most challenging role in theater by getting advice from various actors, both famous and obscure, recounting their experiences and struggles with the role.
Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies: How Doubting the Bard Became the Biggest Taboo in Literature (2023) by Elizabeth Winkler
Journalist and literary critic Elizabeth Winkler sets out to probe the origins of this literary taboo. From London to Stratford-Upon-Avon to Washington, DC, she pulls back the curtain to show how the forces of nationalism and empire, religion and mythmaking, gender and class have shaped our admiration for Shakespeare across the centuries. The book that asks the question ‘Really?’ about every aspect of Shakespeare’s existence.