About Classics on the Rocks

At Classics on the Rocks, we believe that just as whiskey doesn't need anything more than rocks to tame its bite, Shakespeare doesn't need fancy concepts, modernizations, frilly costumes, or big sets to make it relatable. All you need are talented actors who trust the text and tell the story. It's classics served simply, on the rocks.

Our mission is to create a warm, friendly environment where actors and audience can come together and experience classical theatre in an easily accessible and engaging way. With Shakespeare as our foundation, we bring the timeless themes of classic works that have defined and redefined humanity to life through intimately staged productions and acting workshops. Learn more at www.classicsontherocks.org

A Note from the Directors

Karl Hawkins 

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I have a confession to make: Hamlet has never been my favorite Shakespeare play. (Purists, I know. Please don't fight me. I am a Romeo and Juliet girl through and through.)

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Now, I do admire the play. It is one of our great tragedies, after all, and as a lover of stories with characters that wear their hearts on their sleeves and live at the intersection of love, fear, joy, and devastation, you would think this would be at the top of my list.

But Hamlet kept me at arm's length.

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Until now.

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Throughout this journey, I found myself returning to one question:

Why?

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Why does Hamlet wait? Why does Gertrude stay? Why does Ophelia unravel? Why does Claudius convince himself he deserves the crown? Why does Laertes rage? Why do we only see Fortinbras twice? Why does Polonius speak with so much art?

Why do any of us continue moving forward when grief has rearranged the world beneath our feet?

These questions became my guiding light in rehearsal.

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Grief is an annoying thing, if you think about it. You cannot hold it or tell it where to go, yet it shapes every room you enter. It has no respect for calendars, celebrations, or political transitions. It arrives when it wants, lingers longer than we expect, and asks us to become people we never intended to be.

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That is the Denmark we invite you to be a part of.

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A nation trying to celebrate before it has finished grieving. A country preparing for war while insisting everything is under control. A court that mistakes performance for healing. Beneath everything is an ache no one wants to name.

Except Hamlet.

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He refuses to move on simply because everyone else has decided it is time.

As we crafted this production, I couldn't help but recognize ourselves in that tension. In 2026, we too find ourselves asking why. Why are we here? Why does history repeat itself? Why does power so often ask us to forget? Why does joy feel complicated in moments of uncertainty? Politically. Socially. Economically. We are all, in some way, trying to make sense of a world that keeps changing faster than our feeds can refresh.

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Maybe that is why Hamlet finally spoke to me.

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I'm not sure.

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But I no longer see it as a play about indecision. I see it as a play about people trying to survive the impossible task of living after loss. About what we inherit. About what we owe the dead. About the stories we tell ourselves to keep going.

Whether you are here as a lifelong lover of Shakespeare or someone meeting this play for the very first time, I invite you to live in the question of "why" rather than search for an answer.

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Because sometimes the most honest thing we can do is sit together in the "why."

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- Karl Hawkins

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William Downes

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Every year, when I sit down to plan our summer production, I take many factors into account. What world would I like to spend a summer exploring? What do I have to say about the play? What will sell tickets? (The business of theatre is, after all, still part of the art.)

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Hamlet is always on that list, though for many years it remained near the bottom. It takes more than an actor with the grace and courage to take on the title role. It takes a company of actors with that same grace and courage to surround him, challenge him, and hold him up. A company very much like the one you are about to watch.

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When I think of Hamlet, I think of more than grief itself. I think about the consequences of grief, and how, when left unchecked, it festers until it infects every choice. It has the power to destroy lives, families, and kingdoms.

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I also think about legacy, and what lives on after we are gone. What is the state of the world we leave behind? Who is left to pick up the pieces and tell the story? As one story ends, another begins, and the question remains: did we learn anything from those who came before us?

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- William Downes

Meet the Cast

Read full bios of the cast here.

Check Out Our Podcast

On ”Will: What Is He Good For?” we explore the question of who was the Real Shakespeare because understanding who he was can unlock the key to understanding his works and words in a new way. It also can help to inform the argument - who is he for? Is Shakespeare an old relic of his time? Or is he indeed for everyone who wants to experience his plays? Throughout our series, we explore the Man from Stratford’s life, history, and explore textual clues that will prove who owns Shakespeare’s words, relevance, and most importantly his legacy.

Available on:

• Apple Podcasts

• Google Podcasts

• Spotify

• Amazon Music

• PodBean

and on our website at www.classicsontherocks.org/podcast.