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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.

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 -2023 by American Theatre[2] magazine, which is published by TCG Theatre Communications Group. In 2023, Primary Stages presented Hamill with the Einhorn Mentorship Award.

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 20, 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 2018, Hamill's adaptation of Little Women premiered at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis, directed by Sarah Rasmussen. For its New York City premiere in 2019, it 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.

The Little Fellow (Or, The Queen of Tarts Tells All)

In 2023, Hamill's original play about the British courtesan Harriette Wilson premiered at Cygnet Theater, directed by Rob Lutfy.

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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Hamill