Eight actors with Down syndrome bring their own lives, desires, and frustrations to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in a contemporary production from Peru’s Teatro La Plaza, coming to the Center for the Arts for two performances on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Rather than a conventional staging of Shakespeare’s play, Teatro La Plaza’s “Hamlet” uses the original work as a framework for the performers to share their own stories, experiences, and perspectives. Performed in Spanish with English supertitles, the production combines portions of Shakespeare’s text with personal storytelling, humor, movement, music, and dance.
At the heart of the production is Hamlet’s enduring question: “To be or not to be?” For the performers, that question becomes a starting point for considering what it means “to be” in a world that often overlooks them and how society values people with Down syndrome, particularly when efficiency, productivity, and conventional ideas of beauty and perfection are held as measures of human worth.
Created and directed by Teatro La Plaza founder Chela De Ferrari, “Hamlet” has received international acclaim, with performances in 20 countries and more than 50 cities. The production has appeared at major venues and festivals around the world, including the Edinburgh International Festival, where it played a sold-out run; Chicago Shakespeare Theater; and London’s Barbican Centre. The Guardian praised its “charm, humour and imagination,” while The Stage called it “a joyous affair.”
Founded in Lima, Peru, in 2003, Teatro La Plaza is a theatre creation space that investigates and interprets reality to build a critical point of view in dialogue with its community. The company presents new works as well as classics through a contemporary lens, creating productions that question, provoke, and surprise while examining the complex nature of human beings and the world around them.
De Ferrari’s recent work has focused on adapting and directing Shakespeare, including “Richard III” in 2013, “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2016, and “Hamlet” in 2019. In 2024, her production of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” featuring visually impaired actors, premiered at the Avignon Festival and the National Drama Center of Spain. She most recently directed “Ser Hamlet,” a documentary about the creative process behind “Hamlet.”
Please note that the production includes a simulated gunshot, loud sound effects, haze effects, and flashing lights.
Teatro La Plaza’s performances at Virginia Tech are supported in part by a gift from Thomas and Martha Olson.
Tickets are $30 for general admission and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
