Adelphi University Honors College Student Craig Fox ’09 to Direct and Play Hamlet for a Cause
Garden City, NY
March 10, 2009
In order to receive an Honor’s College diploma at Adelphi University, students are required to complete a senior thesis that fits their major and interests. While some students choose to write a traditional research paper, some choose more creative activities, and others opt to challenge themselves by casting, producing, directing, teaching, and acting, to help them write the paper. Adelphi Honors College student Craig Fox ’09 from Columbia, NJ will fulfill all those tasks with the production of William Shakespeare’s
Hamlet on Thursday, May 7, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. for high school students, and at 7:00 p.m. for the general public, in Adelphi’s Performing Arts Center (AU PAC), Olmsted Theatre, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. This Honors College thesis production is intended to make Hamlet accessible and captivate a wide audience with its contemporary spin and minimalistic setting utilizing 40 black boxes. This ticketed event is offered in association with Adelphi’s Honors College, Department of Theatre, and Young Actors, Dancers, and Designers of Adelphi (Y.A.D.D.A.). A portion of the proceeds will support Hempstead High School Department of Theatre.
Why Shakespeare’s
Hamlet? What’s the relevancy? In part, as a reaction to comments from various people that the dynamic and powerful story is hard to tell or understand, Fox felt it was necessary that the story be told in a way that is meaningful and less foreign. “The will to read and understand Shakespeare, explore him and not be afraid of him, and never stop challenging yourself, stretches you emotionally, physically, and mentally in every different direction,” said Fox. “In
Hamlet, you learn about need, want, hate, getting what you want through setting objectives, to question things, whether to act or not to act, ultimately not be powerless in a situation. This can be applied to people’s lives and you gain a new appreciation of Shakespeare’s work.”
About Craig Fox ’09
While at college, Craig Fox worked as an actor in several Equity readings at theatres such as The Cherry Lane Theatre, the Lark Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, and the American Globe. He has appeared in a stage reading of
Substitution by Anton Dudley. His Adelphi mainstage productions include Tom Collins in Rent, Bottom in
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cladwell in
Urinetown, King Midas in
Metamorphosis, and Dick in
Moonchildren. His Adelphi second stages include Tom in
Fat Pig and Doug in
Throwing Your Voice. He previously directed
The Lady of Larkspur Lotion by Tennessee Williams and will direct a cast of 16 in
Hamlet by William Shakespeare. He interned for New York Stage and Film and worked along side John Patrick Shanley, Stephen Belber, and Bobby Cannavale. He also established and founded a theatre group inclusive of non-acting majors, the Actors, Dancers, and Designers of Adelphi (Y.A.D.D.A.). The group focuses on producing plays, holding readings and weekly meetings where ensemble exercises and lively discussions about theatre take place. He served as artistic director for Y.A.D.D.A. producing
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea,
Stupid Kids,
Lobby Hero,
Night Songs, and the
Wakefield Second Shepard’s Pagent Play. Fox will receive his B.F.A. in acting from Adelphi University in May, and attend University of California at Irvine’s prestigious M.F.A. acting program, receiving a full tuition scholarship and a teaching stipend.
Adelphi’s Honors College is one of the rare undergraduate institutions nationwide that requires students to complete a senior thesis and delve deep into their interests, which is the culmination of their educational experience to demonstrate intellectual mastery and to encourage the integrity and responsibility that only a complex project can elicit.
For tickets, more information, and a full calendar of AU PAC season events, visit
http://aupac.adelphi.edu/ or call the Box Office at (516) 877-4000. To learn about Adelphi’s Honors College, visit
http://academics.adelphi.edu/honcol/.
About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,500 students from 41 states and 63 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.
Media ContactFor additional information, please contact:
Kali Chan
Media Relations Director
p - 516.877.4040
f - 516.877.3266
e - chan@adelphi.edu
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