BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
ADAPTED & DIRECTED BY KELLY WILSON

A contemporary adaptation of Hamlet that retains William Shakespeare’s original text, but edits and transforms the script to create an intimate examination of the main conflict caused by the murder of Hamlet’s father, which impacts the families of both Hamlet and Polonius. Many characters have been cut entirely from the script or combined with the characters that remain, such as Ophelia, whose role has been greatly expanded and placed firmly in the 21^st century through the incorporation of lines from Horatio, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and even Hamlet.

This production examines society’s growing obsession with revenge. The tragedy of Hamlet is produced not by a desire for justice, but a pursuit of vengeance, spurred on by Hamlet’s own father from beyond the grave, a deadly inheritance passed down from one generation to the next. The parallels between the dramatic action of this play and the rise of terrorism and murder rates in the world today will provoke reflection and present an antidote to our fixation on revenge, which is not only destructive to the individual, but to society as well.

The role of Polonius is played by Darren Royston. Darren is an internationally recognised artist from the UK who has worked in theatre, musicals, opera, film and television.