Electric City Playhouse Announces "I Hate Hamlet" Director

Electric City Playhouse (ECP) in Anderson is excited to announce Chuck W. Chapman of Greenville as the director for Paul Rudnick’s comedy-drama, “I Hate Hamlet”. The fourth show in the 2020 Season, “I Hate Hamlet” will be performed from October 9 to October 18, 2020.

A graduate of Stratford College of Art and Greenville Tech (Business with Emphasis in Communication Art), Chuck has a background in music, theatre, and film.

“I Hate Hamlet” will be Chuck’s first time in the director’s seat at ECP, having appeared on the ECP stage in six shows. Chuck’s history with ECP inspired him to apply to direct: “ECP was my first featured roles as an actor, so it has always been a special place for me.”

Chuck’s directing experience includes “Operation Redneck” at Foothills Playhouse (Easley), and directing his first feature film, “He Drives at Night”, in which he directed Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster from “The Munsters” television show). Even for an experienced member of the performing arts community, the opportunity to direct “someone who I grew up watching on TV in one of my all-time favorite shows” was “almost surreal”.

Chuck notes that he has learned from every director he has ever worked with, acknowledging Steve Schultz and Jimmy O. Burdette as “big influencers and encouragers to me”. Chuck is also very fortunate to count a legendary name in his personal experience: “…having the privilege of working on a film under the direction of Clint Eastwood was unbelievable.”

For Chuck, involvement in theatre was a “natural progression from my years of touring in Rock 'n Roll bands. I enjoy performing and entertaining people.” He loves directing because he is excited to be bringing to life “the vision that I see in my head when I read a play… It’s like creating living art.” It is appropriate that a favorite quote for Chuck is Willy Wonka’s “We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams”. This quote also encapsulates why theatre is important to Chuck, with a special note on the place that community theatre inhabits: “Not everyone can afford professional theatre, so community theatre makes it more accessible for more people…and gives more opportunities for actors to perform.”

When auditioning for “I Hate Hamlet”, Chuck encourages actors to “Be enthusiastic. Embrace the character(s) you’re asked to read and have fun.” In “I Hate Hamlet”, Chuck’s goal is to have “funniest show of the year for the audiences” and the most fun “show of the year for the actors”.

Electric City Playhouse is a Non-Profit Theatre located at 514 North Murray Avenue, Anderson, SC 29625. Shows in the current season include Ken Ludwig’s “Moon Over Buffalo”, “Messiah on the Frigidaire”, and the ECP Plus Show (for Mature Audiences), “The Santaland Diaries.” The 2020 Season includes “The Tin Woman”, “Hello, Dolly!”, “Is There Life After High School?”, and “I Hate Hamlet”. 2020 Season Tickets go on sale September 1, 2019. Additionally, ECP is holding a Holiday Murder Mystery Writing Contest with the winning play to be presented in November-December of 2020. For upcoming show details, audition announcements, and tickets, visit https://ecplayhouse.com or call 864.224.4248. Find ECP on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.