Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Tickets On Sale Soon!

In August 2026, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead will be playing at Actors’ Theatre in Santa Cruz. Written by the late Tom Stoppard, this classic midcentury masterpiece is one of his earliest plays but also likely his best known. Written as a comedy, the work shares substantially with Samuel Beckett’s absurdist style, particularly Waiting for Godot.
Performances from August 13th to August 30th, 2026, running Thursday through Sunday.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Stoppard crafts an ingenious backstory for these characters, which becomes an exploration of the meaning of life (or death), woven into Shakespeare’s greatest play. The two collegiate friends find themselves traveling to Elsinore, encountering a roving band of actors, a prince (maybe mad), pirates, and never manage to get a grip on anything - even which of them is which.
Santa Cruz local talents Chris Salem (Cabaret with Renegade Theater) will be playing Rosencrantz, and Zed Warner (The Addams Family with Mountain Community Theater) will be playing Guildenstern. A host of other fantastic Santa Cruz talents will take on the remaining roles of Shakespeare’s Hamlet including Ward Willats, Ian Dyer, Andy Waddell, Jennifer Stanford, Kevin Karplus, Juno Aliah, Raven Voorhees, Nick Bilardello, Brad Roades, Tom Boyle and Benjamin Canant.
“Like most of Stoppard's work it asks us to reflect on the meaning of life and doesn't give us any easy answers.” says Simon Hayward, the director. “But youthful philosophical fireworks are on full display — Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are, after all, university buddies of Hamlet.”
Tickets will go on sale July 1st, for an admission fee of $40, $35 for students and seniors, Thursday tickets will be 2-for-1, and there are plans for rush tickets to be available an hour before curtain. Today, audiences can go to https://randg.live/ or follow on instagram @randg.sc for production updates, announcements, and ticket information.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead welcomes any media inquiries including newspaper, social media, podcast, or other, and would be excited to discuss any opportunities for coverage and engagement. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service. www.concordtheatricals.com
Later this year Simon Hayward will be producing and directing “Gross Indecency: The 3 Trials of Oscar Wilde” by Moises Kaufman. Performances will be at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Santa Cruz between October 9 - 25.