Kate Hamill

Last updated
Kate Hamill
BornUnited States
GenrePlays
Notable awards"Playwright of the Year"

Kate Hamill is an American actress and playwright.

Hamill is known for writing and acting in innovative, contemporary adaptations of classic novels for the stage, including Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice; William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair; Bram Stoker's Dracula; Louisa May Alcott's Little Women; and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. She also writes new plays and works as an actor, independently.

Contents

In 2017, The Wall Street Journal [1] named Hamill "Playwright of the Year." She has been named one of the most-produced playwrights in America for every year ranging from 2017 -2022 by American Theatre [2] magazine, which is published by TCG Theatre Communications Group.

Childhood and education

Hamill grew up in a dairy farmhouse in Lansing, New York, [3] or as she puts it, in "a town with more cows than people.". [4] She was "a small, high-energy, highly emotional child" and "grew up in a household that prized reading and literature". Her bedtime reading featured Greek myths and classic novels, including Jane Austen's works.

She married her long-term partner, actor and oft-time co-star Jason O'Connell, on January 20th, 2020. [5]

She received a BFA in acting from Ithaca College.

Career

Hamill creates stories that are female-centered and feminist.[ citation needed ] As a playwright, she has a playful and theatrical style that features absurdity while examining social and gender issues. As an actor, she "tends to play truth-tellers, oddballs, and misfits: complicated people who color outside the lines." [6]

Sense and Sensibility

Hamill's Sense and Sensibility premiered in a short run at New York City's Bedlam Theater Company in November 2014. [7] It had a longer run in 2016 directed by Eric Tucker, also at Bedlam. [8] Hamill played Marianne Dashwood. [8]

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair was produced by Manhattan's Pearl Theater in 2017, with Hamill playing Becky Sharp. [9] [10]

Pride and Prejudice

Hamill's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice premiered at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in 2017, directed by Amanda Dehnert. [3] The production, in which Hamill and her long-term partner, Jason O'Connell, play the leading roles of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, transferred to Manhattan's Primary Stages. [11] This play was published in script form by Dramatists Play Service INC.

Little Women

In 2019, Hamill's adaptation of Little Women opened at the Cherry Lane Theatre, directed by Sarna Lapine. [12] [13] This play was published in script form by Dramatists Play Service INC.

Dracula (a feminist revenge fantasy)

In 2020, Hamill's feminist retelling of Dracula opened at Classic Stage Company, directed by Sarna Lapine. [14] This play was published by TRW plays.

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B

In 2021, Hamill's "cheerful desecration" of Sherlock Holmes stories opened at Kansas City Rep, directed by Jose Zayas. This play was published by TRW plays.

Emma

In 2022, Hamill's adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma opened at the Guthrie Theatre, directed by Meredith McDonough. This play was published by TRW plays.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Austen</span> English novelist (1775–1817)

Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her use of social commentary, realism and biting irony have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.

<i>Pride and Prejudice</i> 1813 novel by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness.

<i>Sense and Sensibility</i> (film) 1995 film by Ang Lee

Sense and Sensibility is a 1995 period drama film directed by Ang Lee and based on Jane Austen's 1811 novel of the same name. Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and stars as Elinor Dashwood, while Kate Winslet plays Elinor's younger sister Marianne. The story follows the Dashwood sisters, members of a wealthy English family of landed gentry, as they must deal with circumstances of sudden destitution. They are forced to seek financial security through marriage. Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman play their respective suitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Lapine</span> American stage director and librettist

James Elliot Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.

<i>Pride and Prejudice</i> (1995 TV series) 1995 British television drama series

Pride and Prejudice is a six-episode 1995 British television drama, adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austen's 1813 novel of the same name. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth starred as Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, respectively. Produced by Sue Birtwistle and directed by Simon Langton, the serial was a BBC production with additional funding from the American A&E Network. BBC1 originally broadcast the 55-minute episodes from 24 September to 29 October 1995. The A&E Network aired the series in double episodes on three consecutive nights beginning 14 January 1996.

<i>First Impressions</i> (musical)

First Impressions is a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by George Weiss, Bo Goldman, and Glenn Paxton, and book by Abe Burrows, who also directed the musical. It is based on Helen Jerome's 1935 stage adaptation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice.

<i>Pride & Prejudice</i> (2005 film) 2005 film by Joe Wright

Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Joe Wright, in his feature directorial debut, and based on Jane Austen's 1813 novel of the same name. The film features five sisters from an English family of landed gentry as they deal with issues of marriage, morality and misconceptions. Keira Knightley stars in the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet, while Matthew Macfadyen plays her romantic interest Mr. Darcy.

Constance Cox was a British script writer and playwright, born in Sutton, Surrey.

<i>Persuasion</i> (1995 film) Television film by Roger Michell

Persuasion is a BBC Screen Two 1995 period drama film directed by Roger Michell and based on Jane Austen's 1817 novel of the same name. In her theatrical film debut, Amanda Root stars as protagonist Anne Elliot, while Ciarán Hinds plays her romantic interest, Captain Frederick Wentworth. The film is set in 19th-century England, eight years after Anne was persuaded by others to reject Wentworth's proposal of marriage. Persuasion follows the two as they become reacquainted with each other while supporting characters threaten to interfere.

<i>The Jane Austen Book Club</i> 2004 novel

The Jane Austen Book Club is a 2004 novel by American author Karen Joy Fowler. The story, which takes place near Sacramento, California, centers around a book club consisting of five women and one man who meet once a month to discuss Jane Austen's six novels. The novel was a critical success and became a national bestseller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Austen in popular culture</span> Jane Austen novels adapted to theatre, film, and television

The author Jane Austen and her works have been represented in popular culture in a variety of forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianne Dashwood</span> Fictional character in Jane Austens 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility

Marianne Dashwood is a fictional character in Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. The 16-year-old second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood, she mostly embodies the "sensibility" of the title, as opposed to her elder sister Elinor's "sense".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival</span>

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) is a non-profit professional theater company based in Garrison, New York. The festival runs a roughly twelve-week repertory season each year, operating under a large open-air theater tent. Its productions attract a total audience of about 50,000 from the Hudson Valley, New York City, and 40 US states.

<i>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</i> 2009 parody novel by Seth Grahame-Smith

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a 2009 parody novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. It is a mashup combining Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice with elements of modern zombie fiction, crediting Austen as co-author. It was first published in April 2009 by Quirk Books and in October 2009 a Deluxe Edition was released, containing full-color images and additional zombie scenes. The novel was adapted into a 2016 film starring Lily James and Sam Riley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Austen fan fiction</span>

Jane Austen fan fiction is the collection of numerous sequels and spin-offs produced by authors who have either used the plot of Austen's original novels, or have extended them, to produce new works of fiction. Austen's posthumous popularity has inspired fan fiction that runs the gamut through numerous genres, but the most concentrated medium has remained the novel. According to Pucci and Thompson in their 2003 survey on the contemporary evolution of Jane Austen's work, at the turn of the 20th century, over one hundred sequels, rewritings, and continuations of her novels had been published.

Paul Howard Gordon is a composer of popular songs and music for the theatre.

Jessica Swale is a British playwright, theatre director and screenwriter. Her first play, Blue Stockings, premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in 2013. It is widely performed by UK amateur companies and is also studied on the Drama GCSE syllabus. In 2016, her play Nell Gwynn won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, after it transferred from the Globe to the West End, starring Gemma Arterton as the eponymous heroine. She also wrote and directed the feature film Summerland (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Su</span> American web series creator

Bernie Su is an American web series creator, writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the Emmy Award-winning web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries with Hank Green, a modern vlog-style adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice which won YouTube's first primetime Emmy. His five-platform interactive re-imagination of Austen's Emma, called Emma Approved, won the same Emmy two years later. Su also worked on Vanity, was Multi-channel network StyleHaul's first original online series, with Maybelline New York attached as the exclusive sponsor for its centennial celebration.

<i>Pride and Prejudice*</i> (*sort of)

Pride and Prejudice* is a play by Isobel McArthur, with songs, based on Jane Austen's novel. The play is designed for a cast of five or six women, each playing a servant and one or more of the main characters. After an initial production in Scotland in 2018 and a tour in 2019–20, it opened in the West End in 2021 and toured again in 2022-23. The production won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosina Filippi</span> English actress (1866-1930)

Rosina Filippi was an Italian-born English stage actress and acting instructor, known for adapting Jane Austen's work to the stage for the first time.

References

  1. ↑ Teachout, Terry (2017-12-13). "The Best Theater of 2017: On Stage, Vitality in Every Way—But One". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  2. ↑ Tran, Diep (2017-09-21). "The Top 20 Most-Produced Playwrights of the 2017-18 Season". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  3. 1 2 Murphy, Mary Jo (29 June 2017). "A Madcap 'Pride & Prejudice' in the Hudson Valley". New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  4. ↑ Considine, Allison (2017-11-20). "Kate Hamill: From Stage to Page and Back Again". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
  5. ↑ Mallozzi, Vincent M. (2020-01-24). "No Lack of Chemistry, Onstage or Off". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  6. ↑ "ABOUT". KATE HAMILL: Actor / Playwright. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
  7. ↑ Brantley, Ben (26 November 2014). "'Seagull' and 'Sense and Sensibility,' From Bedlam Company". New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  8. 1 2 Brantley, Ben (4 February 2016). "A Whirlwind of Delicious Gossip in 'Sense & Sensibility'". New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  9. ↑ Soloski, Alexis (3 April 2017). "A Hectic 'Vanity Fair,' Starring That Nasty Woman". New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  10. ↑ Pressley, Nelson (21 February 2019). "How playwright Kate Hamill brought a modern sensibility to a 19th-century novel". Washington Post.
  11. ↑ Soloski, Alexis (19 November 2017). "In This 'Pride and Prejudice,' Love Is a Zero-Sum Game". New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Mary Bacon Joins Kate Hamill's New Theatrical Version of Little Women". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  13. ↑ Clement, Olivia (2019-06-11). "Mary Bacon Joins Little Women Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  14. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (2020-02-27). "In a Battle for Female Personhood, These Plays Are on the Front Lines". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-02-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.