Florida Players opens fall season with 'Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead'

October 20, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Starting at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 at the Nadine McGuire Black Box Theatre, Florida Players, the University of Florida’s student-run theatre group, will kick off its fall 2009 season with Tom Stoppard’s modern classic, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

Two intermittent characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet spend their time “offstage” spinning coins, playing at questions, and generally not getting very far. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find that their only clues to identity and purpose come from snippets of action provided by the other characters. Amidst their struggles with Hamlet, the Player and her troupe of tragedians, the duo unwittingly moves toward their predetermined fate.

Director Jessie Mutz has created a world of entrapment and illusion, where larger-than-life inhabitants reign and exceed expectation. To the two displaced protagonists, this realm seems infinite, but their journey is in fact contained and follows one single, ultimate direction.

Additional show times include 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Oct. 25. The performances are free and open to the public.

Tickets can be reserved through the Florida Players Web site floridaplayers.org. For special accommodations, contact Disability Affairs Cabinet, disability@sg.ufl.edu, 72 hours in advance.