Zainab Jah as Ophelia and LeRoy McClain as Hamlet in California Shakespeare Theater's production of HAMLET, directed by Liesl Tommy; photo by Kevin Berne.

We are pleased to announce that we are extending our production of Hamlet, helmed by internationally-renowned director Liesl Tommy, for one week. Originally scheduled to close on October 14, Hamlet adds four public performances and one student matinee due to popular demand and now runs through October 21.

The schedule of additional public performances is as follows:

• Thursday, October 18 at 7:30pm
• Friday, October 19 at 8pm
• Saturday, October 20 at 8pm
• Sunday, October 21 at 4pm

The additional Student Discovery Matinee will be held Tuesday, October 16.

Widely hailed as one of the greatest plays ever written, Hamlet returns to the Cal Shakes stage for the first time in more than a decade, and enjoys the largest pre-opening advance sales in the company’s history. Director Tommy has reimagined the world of the play as a haunting memory play, one that focuses on a family drama that is by turns poetic, absurd, romantic, violent, and sad. The world of the play becomes its own character; the room and the objects in it hold the secrets and memories of what took place there. In essence the structure has outlived its inhabitants and is now a haunted place.

Single tickets for Hamlet range from $35 to $71, with discounts available for seniors, students, persons age 30 and under, and groups. Prices, dates, and artists are subject to change. For information or to charge tickets by phone with VISA, MasterCard, or American Express, call the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666. Additional information and online ticketing are available at calshakes.org.

California Shakespeare Theater’s 2012 season is supported in part by the generosity of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation and The Shubert Foundation, Inc. California Shakespeare Theater’s production of Hamlet is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Corporate partners supporting this production include BART, City National Bank, Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa, Meyer Sound, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and San Francisco Magazine.

Hamlet has far less food and drink references than Shakespeare’s plays usually do, which makes suggesting menu specials to our café particularly difficult this time around. Help us move beyond funeral meats and poisoned wine by suggesting Hamlet-themed edibles and drinkables, and you could win tickets to San Francisco magazine’s FallFest.

We have two pairs of tickets to give away—each pair valued at $200—to this celebration of the Bay Area’s best in food and wine, taking place Saturday, October 13 from noon to 4pm. Leading restaurateurs, winemakers, bartenders, and epicurean artisans join together for an inspiring day of wine and food tasting, chef demonstrations, cocktail competitions, and panel discussions. It all takes place outdoors at Justin Herman Plaza, which is transformed for the day into a European-style marketplace.

So how do you win? Simply submit your Hamlet-inspired food and drink ideas NO LATER THAN THURSDAY, SEP 13 one of these three ways:

• On Twitter with the hash tag #WWHE
• On our Facebook wall
• Via email at marketing@calshakes.org with the subject header “What would Hamlet eat?”

We will award one pair of tickets to our favorite drink suggestion, one to our favorite food suggestion—and both may end up on the café menu during the run of Hamlet, directed by Liesl Tommy, September 19 through October 14.

Winners notified and announced Monday, September 17. You must be age 21 or older to attend FallFest.