ROCHELLE — What do Hamlet, a Scotsman and a football announcer have in common? The answer is Curt Helgren in the VCCT show, “The Complete works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).”
Helgren plays all three of the above in the show.
“We do a lot of different characters throughout the show and have a lot of fun with them,” Helgren said of his role. “I will play everything from Hamlet to a Scotsman, and even a football announcer. A lot of different accents will be used for the characters, which is always fun.”
Helgren is part of a three person cast that also includes Terry Camplain and Chris Johnson. Together, they will do all the works of the bard in 90 hilarious minutes. All of Shakespeare’s works will be presented…sort of.

“It is pretty fun to play yourself in a show like this. Even though there is improv in this show, the show is still scripted and sometimes my lines are not something I would normally say,” Helgren said.
Helgren’s on-stage role is similar to his approach to theater in general.
“My character is really trying to show the audience a great performance and really sell them on live theater. That is something I try to do with every show I am a part of,” he said.
Helgren has been in many VCCT shows, including “A Few Good Men,” “Escanaba in Love,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,”  “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,”  “A Dickens of a Christmas Carol,” and “Exit Laughing.” He was also in the Stage Coach Players production of “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” in DeKalb.
Carrie Johnson is directing the show, which she described as fast paced and funny.
Remaining dates for “The Complete works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” are July 20 and 21. Curtain time for the Friday and Saturday shows is 8 p.m.
Performances will be held in Paddock Hall located inside Hickory Grove Center, 1133 N. Seventh St. in Rochelle.
Tickets are $12 and can be purchased on line or at the door. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.vcctrochelle.org.