When selecting projects to present, we look for:

BIG-HEARTED AND UNIVERSAL STORIES,

TOLD IN INNOVATIVE, ENGAGING AND ACCESSIBLE WAYS,

THAT WE HOPE SPARK CONVERSATION AND INSPIRE CHANGE.

For our next tour, we’re thrilled to partner with Kate Marie Smith’s beautiful play, One Woman Hamlet, as she works to Shake(speare) the stigma surrounding mental health!

This show will be touring from May 2-14, 2022, offering free performances to communities across Illinois.

The filmed capture of the show will also be available for 24 hours on May 17th, 2022, starting at 7pm CST. The virtual stream will be free, but you must register in advance to view it. Register here!

Check out our tour schedule and learn more about the film here!

One Woman Hamlet: Shake(speare) the stigma surrounding mental health

This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Created and performed by Kate smith

directed by Drew Shirley

Puppet direction by Vanessa Valliere

Kate Marie Smith’s One Woman Hamlet: Shake(speare) the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health is an important and timely piece to present as we re-emerge from the pandemic.

First performed and independently-produced by Kate Marie Smith in January 2020 (and later captured on film in 2021), One Woman Hamlet dives into the mind of Kate, as she uniquely parallels the story of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with her own journey dealing with depression and anxiety.

As Kate says, “This is not your average Hamlet” - meaning this is not only a solo Shakespeare performance, but also incorporates mental health education, mixed media, puppetry, original music, humor and heart. Inspired by Kate’s own journey but also the experiences of friends lost to suicide and depression, this original script was written over the span of four years and supervised by mental health professionals. One Woman Hamlet reminds us that “It’s OK not to be OK.”

Kate Marie Smith is an award-winning performer and producer in Chicago (credits include Chicago Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and the acclaimed indie film, Jack and Anna), as well as a community outreach coordinator for One Year Chekhov and a trauma-sensitive trained yoga teacher. Through One Woman Hamlet, Kate hopes for audience members to better understand their own mental health and discover the same peace and freedom she has found.

We will be touring One Woman Hamlet to your town and presenting in public spaces, such as libraries, community centers, and parks. Tickets will be accessible to all.

We are also interested in presenting this program and it’s exploration of mental health to middle and high school students. Please reach out to us if you are interested in bringing this production to your community space or school.

All performances will provide free mental health resources from The Hope For Us Network, a lived experience coalition disrupting the highest factors for mental health crises. We also seek to partner with local mental health organizations to provide on-location support at performances whenever possible. If you work with a mental health organization in your area and would like to connect with us, please reach out!

For more information about our touring plans for Spring 2022, please visit our Tour page! If you or someone you love is having thoughts of suicide call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Line at 800-273- TALK (8255). More resources are available on the One Woman Hamlet website. “It’s Ok not to be OK.”

Cast and Crew

Writer, Hamlet, Puppeteer, Creator, Producer, Composer, and Performer: Kate Marie Smith
Director for the Stage: Drew Shirley
Puppet Director for the Stage and Screen: Vanessa Valliere
Puppet Designer: Noah Ginex
Projection Director and Editor for the Stage: Dylan Stuckey
Script Editor and Tech Advisor: Benjamin Lapean
Community Partner: The Hope For Us Network
Directors for the Screen: Ayesha Abouelazm and Kseni Avonavi
Editor/DP/VFX & Sound Designer for the Screen: Brian Naughton
2022 Illinois Tour Manager: Tommy Lukrich

Kate Marie Smith

Like so many others, Kate has had an intense journey with her own mental health and has lost many friends to suicide and depression. All of this inspired her to create One Woman Hamlet, a show that inspires conversation and education surrounding mental health. Her hope is that people can better understand their own mental health and find the same peace and freedom she has found.

Kate is an award-winning performer and producer in Chicago. You may have seen her most recently in Chicago Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew, or in the acclaimed indie film Jack and Anna. For five years, Kate also acted as the community outreach coordinator and ensemble member for the theater company One Year Chekhov. Outside of her life as a creative though, Kate is also a trauma-sensitive trained yoga teacher. She has been privileged enough to use this training to teach trauma-sensitive prenatal yoga in Cook County Jail through Yoga For Recovery, and to educate teachers in their 200 hour level certification on the importance of trauma sensitivity in the world of yoga. For the past four years Kate has worked on developing One Woman Hamlet in conjunction with her own journey around depression and anxiety. It was created alongside Hope For The Day and with the support and advice of professional mental health counselors. Kate has over 200 hours of extended and certified mental health education, and she is currently working on a community to support creativity in those dealing with mental health struggles. Stay current with Kate at www.onewomanhamlet.com.

Tommy lukrich, tour manager

Tommy is originally from Idaho. He received his BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Idaho. He enjoys the outdoors and particularly appreciated working with Theatre Hikes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). His passion project he created is Monologues for the Homeless where he uses monologues to help others find resources and homes with street performances. Learn more at: www.tommylukrich.com.

Production Photos

REHEARSAL VIDEO

promotional videos

This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Please consider supporting our journey! Your generous (and tax-deductible!) donation will help us connect with communities across the nation and support our artists.