Trip the light fantastic with Hamlet, Ophelia, Gertrude, and Polonius in this outrageously funny, twisted gender-bending adaptation set in a modern-day bathhouse. Written + Adapted by Brock Hessel, David Bateman and featuring Paul Bellini, Amy J. Lester. Directed by Raymond Helkio, music Stewart Borden.
ORIGINAL CAST & CREW
14 performances
“A gay bathhouse version of Hamlet with
predictably wild and hilarious results”
–CREW Magazine
“As sexual fantasies go, it is magnificently perverse,
as a theatrical adventure: irresistible”
–Drew Rowsome
“A queer-Shakespearian stomping ground… a gender-bending adaptation.”
–Stage Door News
“Literally the hottest show in town!”
–Audience Member
HAMLET
Brock Hessel is finishing his BA in English Literature & Sexual Diversity Studies and was recently accepted into an MA program at UofT to continue his undergraduate disciplines. Awarded the Bronfman Gold Scholarship from Woodsworth College, He is a poet, performance artist, and founder of Queer Writes an LGBTQ creative writing group on UofT campus, he was asked to take part in Jordan Tannahill’s #queerdeathdrive mini-exhibit during the “Fan the Flames” edition of First Thursdays at the AGO last summer. His academic essays, journalism, and poetry have appeared in VOX, Hardwire, Nest Magazine, Zhush Redux, TOZ, The Gargoyle, and The Buzz.
GERTRUDE
David Bateman is a performance poet, playwright, and visual artist. His four collections of poetry have been published by Frontenac House Press (Calgary) and his performance work has been published by Blizzard Press and Ordinary Press. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Calgary in English Literature with a specialization in Creative Writing. A new collection of short stories and creative nonfiction, entitled A Mad Bent Diva, will be published by Hidden Brook Press in the spring of 2016
POLONIUS
Paul Bellinihas worked on some of Canada’s foremost television comedy series, including The Kids in the Hall (1989 to 1995), This Hour Has 22 Minutes (1995 to 1999), and Death Comes to Town (2010). Other noteworthy assignments have included the novel Buddy Babylon (1998, Dell Trade Paperbacks) and the independent films Hayseed (1997) and doUlike2watch (2002). He has garnered three Gemini Awards and three Emmy nominations for his television work. Currently, he teaches at George Brown College and the Second City Training Center.|
OPHELIA
Amy J. Lesteractor, stand-up comedienne and clown living and working in Toronto. A graduate of Ècole Philippe Gaulier she is a frequent performer on the city’s cabaret circuit in addition to her full-time gig as the stunning Ophelia in Hamlet In A Hot Tub.
MUSIC
Stewart Borden is the bassist for Men In Suits (MIS), what The Globe & Mail calls “Bay Street’s hardest working band.” As a charity band, MIS has played hundreds of live gigs including some unforgettable performances with superstar talents like Rick Emmett (Triumph), Amy Sky, Mark Jordan and Toronto’s own Dave Dunlop. Stewart was also a founding member of the bands Thurston Howell and the Lovies, Mr. Christie and the Good Cookies, and The Bulge. You can find him playing bass at semi-regular gigs at The Orbit Room. You can hear more from Stewart on SoundCloud.
DIRECTOR
Raymond Helkiograduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design and is a practicing artist, filmmaker, and author of The Great Meeting Room. As a producer for The Reading Salon, his videos document queer art culture, human rights, and free speech. Hamlet In A Hot Tub has brought him immense fame and fortune, mostly in his head. “I was gifted this genius cast so I get to focus on bringing the audience inside each show. By dismantling the space between the stage and the audience we’re able to create an emotional experience, unlike anything you’ve been to. And yes, there’s a happy ending.”
PAST PERFORMANCES
Peterborough Pride
The Garnet
September 19, 2015
Glad Day Bookshop
End Of The World Tour
July 25, 2015, two shows
The 519 Community Centre waterpark
June 21, 2015, two shows
Nuit Rose Closing Ceremonies
BIA Church Street Stage
Pride Toronto, 2015
Rhubarb Festival
From the washrooms at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre
February 17–21, 2015
Nightly cameos included: Keith Cole, Enza Anderson, Rolyn Chambers, André Prefontaine
PROMO VIDEO FOR NUIT ROSE, THE 519 WATERPARK:
BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE: HOW DOES YOUR SHOW FIT THE THEME OF TRANSGRESSION?
OUR RESPONSE:
PROMO VIDEO FOR RHUBARB FESTIVAL:
ORIGINAL PROMO VIDEO, PARTIALLY SHOT AT SPA EXCESS IN TORONTO:
OFFICIAL VIDEO: ROUND ROOM (A MOMENT WITH GERTRUDE) BY DATE BATEMAN, DIRECTED BY RAYMOND HELKIO
SELECT PRESS:
My Gay Toronto, Bellini’s 8 1/2, Hamlet at the Tubs August 20, 2014
Crew Magazine, Shakespeare By Way Of Gender Bending, Video, and Bathhouses, February 16, 2015
