‘Spanish Tragedy’ comes to the Gannett stage

A production of The Spanish Tragedy, a play considered a major source for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, offers performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 23, in Gannett Theater, Pettigrew Hall, 305 College St. Admission is $6 for the general public and $3 for Bates College faculty and staff, senior citizens and non-Bates students.

For reservations or information, please call the Bates box office at 207-786-6161. This play contains some graphic violence.

Written around 1587 by English playwright Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy was the prototype for the Elizabethan revenge-tragedy genre. It tells the story of a wronged father’s quest for justice for his murdered son, set against the backdrop of political corruption and war in the Spanish court. Violence, passion, lust and treachery all come together in this powerful play.

This production is the New England premiere of The Spanish Tragedy, the third American collegiate production of the play and only its fifth performance on the American stage. It is directed as the honors thesis project by Dominick Pangallo, of Salem, Mass., a senior theater major.

“It’s a terrific piece of theater because it is both timeless and timely,” Pangallo says. “It resonates with us at every level — personally, politically, socially and morally.”

“Kyd struggles with the same questions of power, communication, justice and violence that we face in our society,” Pangallo adds. “He challenges us to look critically at how we relate to others — our families, our fellow citizens and even those we call our enemies.”

The cast is one of the largest ever on a Bates College stage. Pangallo’s past directing credits at the college include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Spirit on the Plains, The Hunting of the Snark, Art and All in the Timing.