press
[acting]

Dead House, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre | 2019

Christine Hamel (Leah) plays the victim's mother whose sorrow and loneliness drive her to seek comfort by taking in a mysterious new boy at the school … [director Adam Kassim] melds the ensemble into a cohesive unit, with Hamel anchoring as the adult in the room …Her character exhibits some unhinged behavior, but she gives a steadying performance.” - Nancy Grossman, Broadway World

Interview with playwright Beirut Balutis

Brecht on Brecht, PTP/NYC, Atlantic Stage 2 | 2018

Interview: “Christine Hamel & Jake Murphy of Brecht on Brecht” in Go See A Show Podcast

“[a] gifted cast … The clear standout in the company is Christine Hamel, who offers a lovely, melancholy rendition, in German, of "Nanna's Lied," a ballad about a streetwalker, and part of "The Jewish Wife," a stunning little piece about a bourgeois hausfrau who, having decided it is time to flee to Amsterdam, leaving her German husband behind, tries to see that all his comforts are attended to. It climaxes in a confrontation with her nonplussed (and unseen) spouse, to whom she quietly lays out the galling facts of his -- and, by extension, all of Germany's -- hypocrisy in the face of Chancellor Hitler. ("You discover the quantum theory, you invent heart operations, but you let yourself be ordered about by these half-savages, so that you may conquer the world, but you're not allowed to keep the wife you want.") If those words don't freeze you to the bone, you may have stopped feeling altogether; this scene alone is worth the price of admission.” - David Barbour, Light and Sound America

“Brilliantly directed … a carefully curated collage of Brecht’s words, politics, music … One scene, featuring Christine Hamel, consists of four phone calls followed by a monologue. She is in the process of saying goodbye to family and friends because she is leaving. We learn it is 1935. She is a Jew in Germany and has suffered betrayal on all fronts: by her spineless husband whom she still loves and by her country. If she does not leave now, if she waits, she risks being sent away. Hamel’s face conveys all of this. The conversation with her husband that she rehearses alone and then what she actually says to him when confronted is a heartbreak. The parallels to today are… Brechtian.” - Lisa Del Rosso, One Magazine, UK

“[The] eight performers — four lead (Christine Hamel, Jake Murphy, Harrison Bryan and Carla Martinez) and four supporting (Miguel Castillo, Sebastian LaPointe, Olivia Christie, and Ashley Michelle) — are an absolute wonder, gracefully tackling a head-spinning array of difficult subjects, including xenophobia, social inequality, and infanticide … Hamel also pulls off a terrific dramatic/musical combo, with a scorchingly contemptuous rendition of “Pirate Jenny” and a devastating solo turn in the short play The Jewish Wife, by far the lengthiest and most affecting work, in Brecht on Brecht. It’s told entirely from the perspective of a Jewish woman on the verge of fleeing Nazi Germany, not because she wants to save herself but, rather, because she’s worried what her continued presence might mean for her non-Jewish husband. That her impending departure is met with cool detachment shows both the limits of love and the boundless reach of anti-semitism.”- Joseph Pisano, TheaterScene

“Christine Hamel, as Judith from The Jewish Wife, offers an emotionally charged soliloquy as she speaks about needing to leave Nazi Germany and her husband behind - ‘Character is a question of time,’ she says. ‘It only lasts for awhile, just like a glove ... What kind of men are you? Yes, you too! You discover the quantum-theory, you invent heart-operations, but you let yourselves be ordered about by these half-savages, so that you may conquer the world, but you're not allowed to keep the wife you want.’ This moment resonates and lingers - bringing the past forward to the present as Hamel projects hurt, fear of the future and the love for those Judith separates from while showing the heartbreak of the refugee, of the persecuted. - Sandra Mardenfeld, Show Showdown

“As the periodic musical numbers reveal, the piece is at its most successful when it slows down and shines the spotlight on individual performers; that allows space for extended Brechtian passages. A highlight occurs late in the show when Hamel presents a devastating performance of The Jewish Wife. The one-act play is part of a larger cycle called Fear and Misery of the Third Reich, and it paints a sobering portrait of a Jewish woman who is leaving Germany to protect her Gentile husband from the Nazis. Presented mostly through a series of telephone calls, the playlet is disturbing in its ordinariness.” - James Wilson, Off Off Online

Now in its thirty-second season, PTP/NYC (Potomac Theatre Project)) is persisting in its mission to present theatrically complex and thought-provoking work of contemporary social and cultural relevance and, to that end, it is currently staging a superb revival of Brecht on Brecht at Atlantic Stage 2 in Manhattan…All of the performances were good but my very favorites were Army Song and Barbara Song (both sung by the entire Company), Pirate Jenny (sung by Christine Hamel) and Surabaya Johnny (sung by Carla Martinez) - and what was for me, the high point of the play, not a musical rendition at all but rather an exceptional monologue by Christine Hamel in the role of Judith Keith, “The Jewish Wife” forced to flee Nazi Germany.” - Alan Miller, A Seat on the Aisle

“Brecht on Brecht is a monumental work … It’s a gift for those on the front lines … Every fragment, poem, scene, interruption, song in this “epic theater” piece goads us into becoming present and engaged. It’s an intense workout for an activist’s heart … The ensemble is riveting. Harrison Bryan, Christine Hamel, Carla Martinez and Jake Murphy are the four leads tackling the many scenes, monologues and solos. They are so vibrant and insanely talented. Christine Hamel has a beautiful, strong voice that can carry the weight of Brecht’s emotional complexity living in his lyrics. I particularly enjoyed her rendition of Kurt Weil’s Pirate Jenny. She also gave an exquisite performance in the devastating piece The Jewish Wife … It’s a red flag of a piece – asking us to step up our fight against abuse of power in politics and in our own backyards and living rooms.” - Jacquelyn Claire, Stage Biz

Ideation, New Repertory Theatre | 2017

“It's difficult to pick stand-outs when everyone is so good, so I'll give the full rundown: Christine Hamel … plays Hannah, the head executive (and only woman) in the room who can join in the brackish joking one moment and snap the men to attention the next with ease. Whether it's a sly smile or a burst of emotion, Hamel administers just the right amount every step of the way.” - Sarah Parro, Talkin’ Broadway

“It’s an ingenious and timely play..first-rate cast ever [guided] so slyly into increasingly unstable territory. Among the standouts are…Christine Hamel as team leader Hannah [who] walks a fine line between authority and sensuality as the sole woman on the team.” - Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices

“Christine Hamel is spot-on as the uber-competent Hannah, who veers between the corporate veneer of team leader and the freaked-out risk-taker whose marriage is in danger.” - Michele Markarian, Theater Mirror

“a stellar cast … Christine Hamel finds Hannah’s vulnerability – in part as the only woman in the group – as well as her leadership strengths.” - Jules Becker, Jewish Journal

"An exceptional ensemble that draws us deep into absurdity, hilarity, and a heavy heart of darkness." - Jared Brown, WGBH

“Artistic Director Jim Petosa knows he has a great cast and lets them run with the inclinations of their characters … Christine Hamel, Ed Hoopman, Lewis D. Wheeler, and Matt Ketai as the team of management consultants, and Jake Murphy in a small, but critical role, give captivating performances and will keep you guessing. - Nancy Grossman, Broadway World

“Thanks to this estimable cast, each seemingly perfect for her or his role, the audience is “in the room where (and as) it happens”, in real time.” - Jack Craib, South Shore Critic

“The actors – Christine Hamel, Ed Hoopman, Matt Ketai, Jake Murphy, and Lewis D. Wheeler – submit uniformly sharp performances.” - John Carroll, Campaign Outsider

“Jim Petosa’s taut direction and his sterling cast keep upping the ante as events unfold in real time.” - Rich Fahey, On Boston Stages

Brecht on Brecht, New Repertory Theatre | 2017

“‘Brecht on Brecht,’’ which features versatile performances from Christine Hamel, Carla Martinez, Jake Murphy, and Brad Daniel Peloquin … Hamel and Peloquin team up to perform [a] powerful excerpt from ‘The Jewish Wife,’’ in which the title character is preparing to leave Germany in 1935. Rehearsing a speech to her non-Jewish husband, who has taken a posture of craven acquiescence amid the bigotry to which his wife is subjected, she bitterly denounces his moral cowardice and that of other German men who have rationalized their way to an accommodation of the Nazi tyrants: ‘You discover the quantum theory, you invent heart operations, but you let yourself be ordered about by these half-savages . . .’ All in all, it’s an ominous picture that develops in ‘Brecht on Brecht.’” - Don Aucoin, Boston Globe

“… moving performances from the four-person cast … Hamel has her best role as the title character in The Jewish Wife, the one-act that was included in The Private Life of the Master Race, which premiered in Paris in 1938, after Brecht had fled to Berlin. By turn, Hamel appears pragmatic in her packing for the journey she must take, caring about her Christian husband who is eager for her to be gone, and angry at shouldering the breakup because she is a Jew who must sacrifice her marriage for the sake of his career. Brecht's writing is tight and razor-sharp here, with Hamel presenting it in an appropriately straightforward fashion.” - Iris Fanger, Theatre Mania

“A seamless, emotionally rich performance … The four actors — Christine Hamel, Brad Daniel Peloquin, Carla Martinez and Jake Murphy — play nameless characters and are in clown mode for most of it, as if the absurdity of life under fascism can only be expressed with a healthy dose of humor … actors perform something akin to a dance, using every inch of the small stage as they move around, flowing in and out of featured showcases. Hamel, Peloquin, Martinez and Murphy are each excellent. They support each other faithfully and distinguish themselves in spotlight moments. Hamel sings a haunting “Pirate Jenny.” But the performance is at full force with ensemble pieces like “The Army Song,” for which the cast marches menacingly around the stage, and “Barbara Song,” which teasingly proposes different models of male attraction. - Jeremy D. Goodwin, WBUR

“Four talented actors - Christine Hamel, Carla Martinez, Jake Murphy and Brad Daniel Peloquin … play the varied characters in these excerpts … Delivery ranges from plaintive reflection by a deeply concerned mother – here tenderly rendered by Hamel – to a rage-rich marching foursome on the famed ‘Army Song.’ While the four actors have good chemistry together and reach smooth ensemble harmonies, there are several standout numbers and excerpts … Hamel is very moving detailing tormented Judith’s need to leave Nazi Berlin in a speech from ‘The Jewish Wife.’ - Jules Becker, Boston Theatre Wings

“Brecht on Brecht is a captivating show … The cast of Brecht on Brecht delivers a fantastic performance. They are full of energy and political vim. Their approach to the show can be likened to children’s theatre in that it is full of energy, and pointing to obvious facts in order to teach an audience. It’s a socio-political panto for the adults repeating history because they didn’t learn from it the first time … Brecht on Brecht (Brecht’s favorite subject) is good. It’s very good. Castmates Christine Hamel, Carla Martinez, Jake Murphy and Brad Daniel Peloquin are the people’s actors embodying the people’s fight for acknowledgement. The Threepenny Opera, among other music, winds through the production like a lover. It’s a wonderful production.” - Kitty Drexel, New England Theatre Geek

“The actors, Christine Hamel, Brad Daniel Peloquin, Carla Martinez, and Jake Murphy who are listed in the program as Mature Woman, Mature Man, Young Woman, and Young Man respectively are all very engaging, which is exactly what this work is meant to be. 

A scene where Ms. Hamel is making numerous calls to friends in order to explain why she must go away for a while is chilling as we realize she is fleeing the Nazis. The changes in her voice when speaking with different people is very telling. Her comments are quite thought provoking as she reveals her change in status and how it has effected her views of others.“ - Bobby Franklin, Boxing over Broadway

“The cast includes Christine Hamel as a Mature Woman and Carla Martinez as a Young Woman. The two women sing together beautifully and Christine sings another song in German exquisitely, convincing you that she speaks German fluently. 

In the best play of the show, titled “The Jewish Wife,” he has a Jewish wife prepare friends to care for her husband when she plans to leave for a few weeks. But it slowly becomes clear that she is planning to leave forever, for subtle and personal reasons. She says to her husband, “Fritz, everything becomes so hopeless when I look at you. . .” But her husband is sure she will be back in a couple of weeks.” - David Brooks Andrews, Wicked Local

“Perhaps the most effective excerpt of a Brecht work is an extended sequence from his one-act play “The Jewish Wife,” in which Hamel portrays a Jewish woman whose mere presence in the household as the Nazis gain power provokes a Hobson’s Choice: Stay and watch her husband’s career dissolve, or leave for good, saving his career and perhaps her own life.” - Rich Fahey, On Boston Stages

“Brecht's work is nothing if not a didactic polemic, but it's a good deal more than that in the capable hands of the Mature Woman (Christine Hamel), Mature Man (Brad Daniel Peloquin), Young Woman (Carla Martinez) and Young Man (Jake Murphy). Each gets her or his turn to shine in the spotlight … This production will challenge theatergoers, in refreshing their memories of past encounters with Brecht, with the stark realization that, as Santayana warned, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. One of the countless roles of theater is the motivation not to repeal and replace that which is artful, but to rejuvenate and restore it. Brecht on Brecht is a timely and timeless reminder of why theater exists and persists.” - Jack Craib, South Shore Critic

“Oh, he fantasized (with the aid of a defiant, dissonant, sneering score from Kurt Weill for The Threepenny Opera) but they were Pirate Jenny’s revenge fantasies, of a ship with eight sails and fifty canons opening fire. Petosa stages her song for the New Rep production with Jenny (the wonderful Christine Hamel) looking down over the crowd she would obliterate if she could, for treating her so badly. And Petosa gets even more traction by transforming Hamel into the actual figurehead on the bowsprit of the deadly vessel.” - Beverly Creasey, Boston Arts Review

“… one of the strengths of this show – people that comprise the cast are all, in their own way, not what you would expect. There’s nothing stagey or musical theater-y about them; they appear to be ordinary people … all four of them are excellent, Christine Hamel as Mature Woman and Brad Daniel Peloquin as Mature Man are particularly affecting.  Hamel’s vocals are pure and straightforward. Her portrayal of a Jewish woman leaving her Christian husband to go to Amsterdam – Amsterdam! – is both moving and tragic.” - Michele Markarian, Theater Mirror

Feature on Brecht on Brecht in Boston Globe

“New Rep Stages ‘Brecht on Brecht” in BU Today

broken glass, New Repertory Theatre | 2015

“The cast could hardly be better… Christine Hamel as Sylvia’s sister Harriet squirms delightfully through the scene where Harry gets some truth out of her.” - Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe

“Broken Glass is notable chiefly for its pointedly salient performances … As Harriet, Sylvia's supportive but realistic sister, Christine Hamel is understated and powerful.” - Christopher Ehlers, Theatre Mania

“The New Rep drew on some of Boston's best acting talent to cast the show, including Anne Gottlieb, Benjamin Evett, Jeremiah Kissel and Christine Hamel. They do well with their roles, bringing them to life, under the able direction of Jim Petosa … Hamel is appealing and sympathetic as Harriet, Sylvia's sister who looks in on her with deep concern. She has some insights into her sister's life to offer the doctor, but there's a lot more to be uncovered. - David Brooks Andrews, Wicked Local

“A stellar cast under the thoughtful direction of Artistic Director Jim Petosa inhabits Miller's characters, intuiting their emotional journeys with remarkable authenticity…In this production, he is fortunate to have A-list actors who give fully realized performances; they embrace all aspects of their characters and do not shy away from the natural humor that surfaces from time to time, even in the face of the darkness inherent in the story … Eve Passeltiner (Margaret Hyman, the doctor's wife), Christine Hamel (Harriet, Sylvia's sister), and Michael Kaye (Stanton Case, Phillip's employer) bring considerable acting chops to their supporting roles … Harriet is protective of her sister and anxious to help get to the bottom of her situation, even if it means spilling family secrets … Miller develops everyone's arc, including the minor players. They are all faced with personal challenges and have to decide upon a course of action that either solidifies or calls into question their identity.”  - Nancy Grossman, Broadway World

“It’s a beautiful, multilayered production with much to savor…These characters are so well drawn, so rooted in the soil of human experience. And Petosa’s production is quite sensitively realized; it’s hard to envision a better-handled approach to the material. - Jeremy D. Goodwin, WBUR

“Sylvia’s sister Harriet (a straight-talking Christine Hamel) sheds light on the couple’s past for Dr. Hyman, but fails to understand why Sylvia is so worked up about Germany… This [production’s] triumph is an excellent way for New Rep to start their latest season, and a fine tribute to one of America’s greatest playwrights.” - Fabriana Cabral, My Entertainment World

“The acting was first rate … Miller’s images in “Broken Glass” came across powerfully.” - Liam Hofmeister, The Huntington News

“[Petosa’s] familiarity with the piece has allowed him to hone in on the efforts of a fine cast … Thanks to Petosa’s taut direction and a cast that is fully invested – the final scenes will show you just how invested – it’s a winning night at the theater from a playwright who had very few losing ones.” - Rich Fahey, On Boston Stages

“the performances and design elements are in sync … Christine Hamel is engaging as Sylvia’s sister, Harriet.” - Ian Thal, Arts Fuse

“the cast is superb “ - Jules Becker, Jewish Journal

“This play is elegantly written and gorgeously acted … While it was impressive to watch the cast work through all the twists, turns and unreliable realities, the element that made the night so captivating was the overall impression that the characters could trust themselves even less than anyone else.” - Kitty Drexel, New England Theatre Geek

a disappearing number, central square theater | 2014

“The heart and soul of this production is Christine Hamel as Ruth, and it is her show in the best way possible. Her performance is natural and fluid. By the end, you feel that you have just had coffee with a long lost friend who has regaled you with stories from her recent adventures. The shear feat of both memorizing the all of the numbers and equations, and then to have them roll of the tongue with shear ease deserves its own praise. It's a lovely and touching performance due to its simplicity.” - Clinton Campbell, Edge Boston

“Under the drum-tight direction of Elaine Vaan Hogue, it’s absolutely gorgeous … Christine Hamel is affecting as Ruth, a math professor in her early 40s who feels her biological and professional clocks ticking equally loud … Devised plays, typically crafted around the skill sets and conceptual interests of its creators, are not easily made portable for use by regional companies. But Vaan Hogue and team are up for it.” - Jeremy D. Goodwin, Boston Globe

“Christine Hamel is charming as the English mathematics scholar who, despite her love for Amar Srivastava’s irresistible suitor, cannot withstand the pull of India. Something draws her to retrace Ramanujan’s improbable journey…I was engaged for all two hours (or a series of 7200 seconds) by the infinite variety of theatrics involved in the storytelling.” - Charles Munitz, Boston Arts Diary

“The Indian rhythms, in both the tabla doodlings of musicians Ryan Meyer and Brian Fairley and the dance interludes choreographed by Aparna Sindhoor, lend both precision and East-West atmosphere. There are lively performances, too, especially by Christine Hamel as Ruth, caught between Ramanujan’s spell and Al’s less aesthetic and ascetic orbit.” - Carolyn Clay, WBUR

“The performances by Harsh J. Gagoomal (as the physicist/narrator Aninda) and Christine Hamel (as the mathematician Ruth) are terrific.” - John Carroll, Campaign Outsider

“Also in the superb cast…(the very enthusiastic) Christine Hamel … There are so many reasons to see this play; as one of the characters puts it, ‘do the math.’ If there’s any justice in this mathematical world, the title ‘A Disappearing Number’ will soon refer to the availability of tickets.” - Jack Craib, South Shore Critic

“Christine Hamel has the right passion for her work and tenderness with Al.” - New England Entertainment Digest

“Far stronger is the modern romance between Al and Ruth. Al Cooper, played with winning freshness by Amar Srivastava, is an American hedge-fund financer of Indian ancestry who falls in love with British math professor Ruth Minnen (Christine Hamel), at London’s Brunel University. Al meets Ruth when she presents a bravura mathematical talk on number series, an aspect of math that Ramanujan explored.“ - Lin Haire-Sargeant and Mark Meadows, ArtsFuse

on the verge, New Repertory Theatre | 2014

“The trio of actresses (plus Benjamin Evett) for this production were [sic] first rate, the dialogue was sharp and witty … The acting performances are terrific in this show, particularly once the female characters shed their stodgy and proper exteriors and begin to let their hair down. Christine Hamel is utterly charming as Alexandra, the youngest of the trio, and her transformation is the most fun to watch. - Events Insider

“Western civilization already had the three Fates, the three Graces, the three Weird Sisters of “Macbeth,” and, of course, Charlie’s Angels. Now, courtesy of Eric Overmyer’s delightful “On the Verge,” we can add Fanny, Mary, and Alex, three Victorian-era American explorers — “polytopians,” Overmyer calls them — who, as the 1985 comedy opens, find themselves in Terra Incognita, a land “somewhere east of Australia, and west of Peru,” as Alex (short for Alexandra) tells us ... Adrianne Krstansky’s conservative, trousers-abjuring Fanny and Christine Hamel’s Himalaya-loving, rhyming-addicted Alex seem more at home in 1955. Hamel [is] funny taking selfies with her Kodak box camera or, as an aspiring rock ’n’ roller, belting “Ike get a kick out of you.” - Boston Globe

“Christine Hamel is lovable and spunky as Alex, the youngest of the trio who's eager to embrace the future. Early on, she advocates trousers for women, shocking her companions. She loves words and creating rhymes, even though she fumbles with words at times. "I am delicious," she says. "I mean delirious, not delicious." She repeats this pattern throughout the play ... a polished production by Watertown’s New Repertory Theatre - MetroWest Daily News

“It is deeply refreshing to see women amidst the revels of their maturity being embraced by playwrights as the medium for their works. There aren’t enough chewy roles for women past the age of ingenue naivete that embrace life beyond mother or spinsterhood. As an actress and feminist critic, it was a pleasure to watch On the Verge. .. While the source material may have been dry, these women certainly were not! Actors Christine Hamel, Adrianne Krstansky and Paula Langton do an admirable job of imbuing their dryly written characters with personality and spunk. They are charming to watch and hear.” - New England Theatre Geek

“Their wise and witty banter borders on the Stoppardian. They are fascinated by the mysterious interior (of the world both without and within). What they are about is wondrous wordplay. And as one of them says, ‘I have seen the future, and it is slang’. This trio of divas includes Mary Baltimore (Paula Langton), Fanny Cranberry (Adrianne Krstansky ) and Alexandra Cafuffle (Christine Hamel) … Like three Alices in Wonderland, they take us on an imaginative journey accompanied by manners and machetes, always with a pleasantly pithy point…Go along for the ride and you’ll be transported.” - South Shore Critic

“Youthful Alex (Christine Hamel) [‘s] malapropisms amount to a running gag, and her daring proclamation that she does, in fact, wear trousers on occasion creates something of a scandal, if not a rift between herself and the others. If Fanny is reluctant to forge forward into a future she finds abhorrent, Alex (as befits her youth) relishes the prospect … Overmyer's script is full of scintillating language, sometimes whirling past like a blizzard and, other times, beautifully sculpted. - Edge Boston

trumpery, Olney theatre center | 2010

 “At heart, the play is a parlor debate, with characters batting sophisticated notions back and forth. But [director Jim] Petosa sets those conversations agains a vast eternal void … and pushes the actors beyond conversation towards ecstatic heights … it’s gutsy, and the implications of the the vivid theatrics stay with you well after the show is down. “ - Washington Post

“The Olney production … is one of their finest. It’s an entertaining, thought provoking script, coupled with an exceptionally fine cast … In addition, there is a wild séance. Darwin’s wife Emma (Christine Hamel) believes in the Spiritual and hopes to contact their daughter who recently died. It’s fascinating watching all these ideas, personalities, and more played out on the Olney stage.” - Just Theater

“Christine Hamel is convincing as Darwin’s wife, who loves her impossible husband despite his lapsed faith.” - Washington Examiner

PRess
[Voice, text, & dialect
Coaching]

calendar girls, greater boston stage company, 2018

“…highlights include a well-executed set of Yorkshire accents, thanks to dialect coach Christine Hamel.” - Theatre Mirror

golda’s balcony, new repertory theatre, 2017

2018 IRNE Award for Best Solo Performance

“…this is really an amazing performance. Steinbach not only portrays Meir, but a host of politicians – Moshe Dayan, Kissinger, Peres, among others – with voices so distinct that one can tell who is who just by the accent and inflection.” - Michele Markarian, Theatre Mirror

homebody, central square theater, 2017

2018 IRNE Award Nomination for Best Solo Performance

“[Debra Wise] is in charge of tonal variation, moving from absurd humor and scholarly fascination to moral horror. The fact that she nails this performance while speaking in a public school accent (Christine Hamel serves as dialect coach) only makes the achievement that much greater. - The Arts Fuse

the convert, central square theater, 2016

2016 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production, Midsize Theatre

“Dialect Coach Christine Hamel has added a valuable layer of authenticity by allowing the actors to reflect speech patterns of that part of the world.” - White Rhino Report

“Dialect designer Christine Hamel, working closely with Gurira’s script, has done an excellent job of helping Ebiama dramatize Ester’s growing erudition over three acts.” - Fuse Theatre Review

“The Shona language…masterfully played..with a bred-in-the-blood familiarity and speed.” - Artscope Magazine

going to see the kid, Merrimack repertory theatre, 2016

“Dialect Coach Christine Hamel worked with the actors to authentically use specific accents.” - OnStage Blog

awake, and sing! Huntington theatre company 2014

“Credit to dialect coach Christine Hamel for spot on accents” - BroadwayWorld

measure for measure, actors’ Shakespeare project, 2014

“…each actor knows exactly what his or her lines are meant to convey and they cleverly use body language, inflections and facial expressions to get their message to the audience.” - Artscope

“…a contemporary interpretation of this play, with some actors using accents that could be heard on the streets of Revere or Chelsea.” - White Rhino Report

the kite runner, new repertory theatre, 2012

“[Hamel] is a virtual Henry Higgins of stage accents, with a schooled ear for vocal nuance.” - BU Today

the light in the piazza, speakeasy stage company, 2008

2009 Elliot Norton Award Nomination, Outstanding Musical Production
2009 IRNE Award for Best Musical, Small Theatre

“ … yes, much of the show is sung in Italian, with no surtitles (the admirable dialect coaching was by Christine Hamel)” - Thomas Garvey, Hub Review

king of the jews, boston playwrights’ theatre, 2007

2007 Elliot Norton Award Nomination, Outstanding Production, Small Company

“Work of this caliber clearly requires a veritable army behind the scenes to make it happen.  Whether it’s the set, the sound, the lights or even the dialect of the actors, every aspect of this production is flawless.” - Boston Metro

PRess [Directing]

god box, new repertory theatre

“In her one woman show, The God Box, under the Direction of Christine Hamel, Antonia Lassar conducts a Master Class in storytelling […] This play is not only technically brilliant, but also emotionally and spiritually rich.” - Al Chase, The White Rhino Report

rocks, boston theater marathon

“Author and director carefully put all the little pieces together until the entire picture became obvious” - Theatre Mirror

regina, boston opera project

“In many ways, Blitzstein's taut adaptation is an improvement on the play … Blitzstein's uncommon achievement shined through…the BOP production … served the singers [using] only piano and percussion as accompaniment.” - Robert Nesti, The Boston Herald

press
[playwriting]