“Hamlet” remains one of Shakespeare’s best-known works, but a play coming to Athens State University looks at the story from the viewpoint of two of its minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead” tells their version of the story as the pair stumble their way in and out of the action of “Hamlet.” The play is regarded as playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard’s best-known work.

The production is being brought to the stage by the Athenian Players, the resident theatre company at Athens State University. Directed by Dr. Hugh Long, the play will run from April 11–13 and 18–20 with performances at 7:30 p.m. each evening. A matinee is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20.

Through the production, “this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end,” said a press release about the production.

The cast of “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead” includes:

• Vicki Montgomery as Rosencrantz;

• Drew Carlton as Guildenstern;

• Meghan Swan as The Player;

• Chris Clark as Hamlet;

• Tyler Dalton, John Powers, Rabia Siddiqui, Chelsey George and Caitlyn Merriman as tragedians;

• Rick Martin as King Claudius;

• Laura Poe as Gertrude;

• Preston Pylant as Polonius;

• Jilya Gossett as Ophelia;

• Chelsey George as Horatio; and

• Caitlyn Merriman and John Powers as courtiers, ambassadors, soldiers and attendants.

Performances will take place in the studio theatre of the Performing Arts Center at the Alabama Center for the Arts, 133 2nd Avenue, Decatur. Regular admission tickets are $15, and senior or student admission tickets are $10.

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Alabama Center for the Arts box office, online at http://www.athens.edu/athenianplayers or by phone at 256-260-3007.

Those who eat at downtown Decatur restaurants, including The Brick, Cross-Eyed Owl Brewery, The Railyard, Josie’s, Mellow Mushroom and Moe’s Barbecue, will receive $5 off the price of a single ticket.

About the Athenian Players

The Athenian Players produce a play each semester, drawing the cast and crew from Athens State, students at other nearby schools and the local community.

“Their goal is to continue the long tradition of quality dramatic productions from Athens State University’s illustrious history and to be a beacon for future theatre artists in the greater North Alabama region,” the release said.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/athenianplayers.

For information about the drama program at Athens State, visit www.athens.edu/drama.