Details

Hamlet shows the tragic mind at its very conception, naive and inherently innocent, struggling to comprehend and fulfill the tragic mission laid upon him by the ghost of his father. The primal sins of fratricide and incest; hints of a seasonal or vegetation rite of the dying god, sexual initiation, the emergence of a dark wisdom from riddles and apparent folly, a son's revenge for his dead father, the cleansing of a polluted house. Hamlet has pierced through the illusion by which we live and sustain ourselves, has seen its heart of darkness and is now loath to act. Nausea invades his soul. Now aware everywhere around him of the absurdity of existence in all its forms, he alone comprehends the symbolism of Ofelia's fate and the terrible wisdom of ancient Silenus. The Chamber Shakespeare Cycle is William Shakespeare’s - perhaps the world’s - four greatest tragedies presented as one complete dramatic cycle. A six-hour epic with three intervals of 15 minutes each. It is the culmination of 6 months of research followed by 11 months of rehearsals. A cast of 3 relatively young actors will play a total of 41 speaking characters in 4 plays every day for 25 days for a total of 100 performances. No other production before has ever attempted to present the plays in such a way. Of course, each play is self-contained and unique. But now, for the first time, by presenting them as fours parts - or movements - of the one Cycle, the audience is offered the opportunity to watch these great plays as a tetralogy of Shakespeare’s tragic vision. The plays are not just presented in chronological order. Rather, they have been arranged according to an aesthetic and tragic design. 75 mins approx. no interval

Cast/Performers

William Mann (Hamlet)

Creatives/Company

Company: Chamber Shakdespeare Company