Will Block, sitting, plays the title role of Hamlet in Ensemble Theatre Co.'s contemporary production of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, set in modern-day Denmark. Corey Jones, left, portrays Hamlet’s friend Horatio, Paige Lindsey White is his mother, Gertrude, and Ana Nicolle Chavez is the ill-fated Ophelia.
Will Block, sitting, plays the title role of Hamlet in Ensemble Theatre Co.'s contemporary production of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, set in modern-day Denmark. Corey Jones, left, portrays Claudius and the Ghost, Paige Lindsey White is Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, and Ana Nicolle Chavez is the ill-fated Ophelia. Credit: Zach Mendez photo

“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well” is a famous quote from William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” But do we really know this revered play?

Three very different versions were published — two small “quartos” (Latin for “paper folded in fourths”) during Shakespeare’s lifetime, and in a large “folio” (Latin for “leaf”) of all of his works seven years after his death in 1616.

“The idea that there is a definitive version of the play is ridiculous,” said Will Block, who plays the title character in an upcoming production by Santa Barbara’s Ensemble Theatre Co. “It’s patently false.”

The Second Quarto is the most commonly published and performed, the First Folio is rarely done and the First Quarto is even more rare — and carries the nickname “the Bad Quarto.” Scholars believe it was based on the memories of actors (perhaps bribed) in the rush to publish the popular playwright’s work.

“In any production of ‘Hamlet,’ the director’s job is to look at all versions and decide, ‘What story do we want to present?’ We included text from all three,” the production’s director, Margaret Shigeko Starbuck, said. “You could say that all productions are both revivals and world premieres.”

Ensemble’s “Hamlet” is set to open Feb. 8 and run through Feb. 23 at the New Vic Theater, 33 W. Victoria St. Tickets range from $25 to $94. Click here for tickets and more information.

“This production dives deep into family dynamics, political and social pressures, and how they can push us to the edge mentally,” said Scott DeVine, Ensemble’s executive artistic director. “At the same time, we’ve uncovered so much fun in the script — leaning into the murder mystery and ghost story elements.”

Will Block and Margaret Shigeko Starbuck are partners both professionally and personally. She directs him in the title role of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” at Ensemble Theatre Co.
Will Block and Margaret Shigeko Starbuck are partners both professionally and personally. She directs him in the title role of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” at Ensemble Theatre Co. Credit: Julia McHugh / Noozhawk photo

The idea for Ensemble’s “Hamlet” was hatched in September 2023 when Block was performing in Ensemble’s “The Thanksgiving Play.”

“What started as a casual conversation turned into a full-blown plan: a small-cast adaptation of Shakespeare that eventually became this contemporary version of ‘Hamlet,’” DeVine recalled.

Block and Starbuck are partners both professionally and personally, and met studying theater at UCLA. Following graduation, they were among the founders of Method & Madness, a classical theater company where she directed him in the title role of “Richard II,” and he directed “Henry IV” and “Macbeth.”

Though the company disbanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair continue to focus on Shakespeare. Block is artistic director of The Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Co., where he both directs (“All’s Well That Ends Well,” among others) and acts (Hal in “Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2” directed by Starbuck).

Starbuck was associate artistic director of Boston Court Pasadena from 2020 to 2024 and is set to depart for Ashland, Oregon, immediately following the opening of “Hamlet” to be the 2025 Phil Killian Directing Fellow at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

“For this show, I was inspired by ‘Scandinavian Noir’ books and films,” Starbuck said, “but it’s got an Agatha Christie-vibe where people can’t escape and have to deal with each other.”

Set in modern Denmark, where it is constantly snowing, the plays characters are trapped inside a hulking mansion of concrete and glass in the Brutalist architectural style.

This production has surprises, though all of the words are Shakespeare’s (and in iambic pentameter). More focus is given to Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, and his love interest, Ophelia, for example.

“This is appropriate from a contemporary point of view,” Starbuck said. “They are modern women, so how do we empower them and give more agency?”

To do that, some of Claudius’ lines are now spoken by Gertrude, and a scene between Hamlet and Ophelia referred to in the text has been staged. A scene between Gertrude and Horatio from the “Bad Canto” also has been added.

The cast is comprised of eight actors. Other than Hamlet (Block), Gertrude (Paige Lindsey White) and Horatio (Hamlet’s friend, played by Porters of Hellsgate’s Juno Eiland) have single roles; the rest of the cast perform multiple characters.

The cast of Ensemble Theatre Co.’s “Hamlet” is made up of eight performers, including, left to right, Rafael Goldstein, Ana Nicolle Chavez, Jono Eiland, Matt Foyer, Will Block, Paige Lindsey White, Corey Jones and Sammy Linkowski.
The cast of Ensemble Theatre Co.’s “Hamlet” is made up of eight performers, including, left to right, Rafael Goldstein, Ana Nicolle Chavez, Jono Eiland, Matt Foyer, Will Block, Paige Lindsey White, Corey Jones and Sammy Linkowski. Credit: Zach Mendez photo

“Sadly, Rosencrantz is no more; his lines have been incorporated into Guildenstern’s,” Block joked, referring to two minor characters in “Hamlet” who are elevated to major roles in Tom Stoppard’s 1966 tragicomedy “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.”

For this staging, several seats in the New Vic Theatre have been removed, allowing the stage to extend into the audience. Action also takes place in the aisles and, as is the tradition with Shakespeare, characters directly address the audience in soliloquies and asides.

“We want the feeling that Hamlet is looking you in the eye and asking you to help him,” Block said.

Starbuck said she believes that Shakespeare plays have lasted because of their complexity and humanity.

“It’s not just a story of Hamlet; it’s the story of the ensemble,” she said. “We see why everyone makes their own decisions.”

Block added that the characters’ motivations are up to interpretation.

“Shakespeare forces us to look at it from the characters’ perspective, and we are not allowed to make easy assumptions,” he said. “But it almost doesn’t matter. The plays are what we make of them. They belong to all of us. We create and play in the world he has set up for us.”