FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2009

Lantern Theater Company's 15th Anniversary 2008/09 Season concludes with the staging of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Nationally-acclaimed performer Geoff Sobelle takes on the lead role, bringing his dynamic physical style to this searing production. Audiences can rediscover this famous play in a surprising theatrical event that plumbs the dark humor of Shakespeare's tragic son.

The cast is led by Geoff Sobelle, who not only has gained national recognition as an experimental performer, but also was Barrymore-nominated for his classical turn in The Comedy of Errors at the Lantern. Mary Martello, a familiar leading lady to Philadelphia audiences, will take a break from her usual musical and comedic roles to play Gertrude alongside Joe Guzman's Claudius. The ensemble features Dan Hodge (Horatio), Dave Johnson (Rosencrantz), and Andrew Kane (Laertes), who will begin Hamlet rehearsals on the heels of their run in Theatre Horizon's Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (adbridged) in Norristown. Rounding out the cast is Lantern veteran Tim Moyer (Lady from the Sea, Ghosts) as Polonius and making their Lantern debuts, Melissa Dunphy as Ophelia and Dallas Drummond as Guildenstern.

Charles McMahon, the Lantern's founding Artistic Director, and Barrymore-nominated director behind such Shakespeare productions as The Comedy of Errors and Richard III, directs Hamlet. The Lantern design team includes set designer Dirk Durossette (Barrymore nomination for Skylight, 2008) and sound designer Nick Rye, both returning to the Lantern, as well as costume designer Brian Strachan and lighting designer Drew Billiau.

Lantern Theater Company's production of Hamlet is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. As the only Philadelphia company to receive this prestigious $25,000 grant two years in a row, the Lantern has taken teaching artists into 10 Philadelphia schools and will welcome these students to Hamlet, at no cost to them or their school. This expansion of Illumination, the Lantern's Education Program, brings theater to over 1,000 students who would not otherwise have the arts in their curriculum.

Hamlet begins previews on Friday, April 3, 2009 with an opening on Tuesday, April 7 at 7pm. The closing performance is scheduled for Sunday, May 10, 2009. Tickets are $20-$35, with discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. The Lantern also offers $15 student rush tickets 15 minutes before each performance. All performances are held at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the box office at 215.829.0395.

ABOUT THE 2008/09 SEASON
Prior to Hamlet, the Lantern's 15th Anniversary Season included The Hothouse by Harold Pinter, The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, adapted by Armina LaManna and David O'Connor, and Sizwe Bansi is Dead by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona. The Lantern also hosted Anthony Lawton's adaptation of The Great Divorce based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, for a limited engagement run. The Lantern will announce its 2009/10 Season on March 6, 2009, at its Spring Soiree: Celebrating 15 Years.

ABOUT THE LANTERN
Founded in 1994 by Charles McMahon and Michael Brophy, Lantern Theater Company has emerged as one of the most successful professional theaters in the Philadelphia region. Lantern Theater Company is committed to an authentic and intimate exploration of the human spirit in its choice of classic, modern and original works.

The Lantern commits itself to being a vibrant, contributing member of its community. To that end, each season the Lantern produces four main stage productions, a variety of special events, and Illumination, the Barrymore nominated education program designed to engage local students and adults alike in the world of theater and nurture their own artistic expression. This program reaches the Greater Philadelphia area in four vital ways: outreach in area schools, matinee performances for students, training teaching artists for after school programs, and our audience enrichment series of lectures, discussions, and symposia for each production of our season.

Lantern Theater Company has been in residence at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue. Since the inception of Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, the Lantern has received 12 awards and 54 nominations, including nominations from 2006 to 2008 for the Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service Award. Philadelphia Weekly named the Lantern Best Theatre Company for the 2007/08 Season, calling the company's selection of plays "impressively diverse in genre and style". The 2008/09 season at Lantern Theater Company marks the company's 15th year of creating high-quality professional theater in Philadelphia.

Hamlet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles McMahon

The Cast
Dallas Drummond - Guildenstern, Ensemble
Melissa Dunphy - Ophelia
Joe Guzman - Claudius
Dan Hodge - Horatio
Dave Johnson - Rosencrantz, Ensemble
Andrew Kane - Laertes
Mary Martello - Gertrude
Tim Moyer - Polonius
Geoff Sobelle - Hamlet

Designers
Dirk Durossette - Set Designer
Brian Strachan - Costume Designer
Drew Billiau - Lighting Designer
Nick Rye - Sound Designer
J. Alex Cordaro - Fight Choreographer

Where
Lantern Theater Company at St. Stephen's Theater
10th and Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia, PA

Reviewing Press are invited to attend Opening Night of Hamlet on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 7pm. Call 215.829.9002 x106 to reserve seats. Other Press may arrange for tickets for any other performance after April 7 by calling 215.829.9002 x106.

In Conversation: Audience Enrichment Series
This series offers audiences an insider's look at each show of the season from the Lantern's artistic team, joined by some of the finest humanities scholars on the East Coast.

Scholars: In Conversation
Monday, April 6 at 7pm
Pay What You Can Admission
Stealing Shakespeare
What do Stoppard, Star Trek, Dickens, and Disney all have in common? Also, Hitchcock, Updike, and The Simpsons? They, along with many other artists, writers, and pop culture creators have been inspired by (or out-and-out stolen from) Hamlet, the most quoted play in the English language and one of the most influential. Get inspired, yourself, for the Lantern's production of Hamlet at this wine-and-cheese discussion of Hamlet's wide reach across cultures the world over.

Directors: In Conversation
Friday, April 10 at 7pm, before the 8pm performance
Free for all ticket holders to this production
Kathryn MacMillan, Lantern's Literary Manager, hosts a pre-show conversation with Hamlet's Director, Charles McMahon, to provide a first-hand look into the rehearsal process.

Artists: In Conversation
Saturday, April 25, following the 2pm performance
Free for all ticket holders to this production
This post-show discussion focuses on the process of bringing scripts to the stage. The audience will have an opportunity to talk about the production with the director, performers, and designers who created it.

Pre-Curtain Cocktails
Friday, April 17, Cocktails from 6pm-8pm, Performance at 8pm
New this season! On a select Friday night of each performance, the Lantern hosts Philadelphia professionals for drinks and light fare at Marathon Grill, 10th and Walnut Streets. Tickets to the performance can be purchased through the Lantern Box Office. Marathon Grill provides complimentary appetizers and a cash bar.

Calendar and Tickets for Hamlet

• Single Tickets: $20-$35; discounts available for students, seniors and groups of 10 or more
• By Phone: 215.829.0395
• Online: www.lanterntheater.org
• In Person: St Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets
• Box Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm. One hour prior before curtain on performance days.
• Performance Calendar: Online at www.lanterntheater.org/calendar/