Hamlet is arguably the most famous play on the planet, and the greatest of all Shakespeare's works. Its rich story and complex leading role have provoked intense debate and myriad interpretations. To play such a uniquely multi-faceted character as Hamlet represents the supreme challenge for a young actor. Performing Hamlet contains Jonathan Croall's revealing in-depth interviews with five distinguished actors who have played the Prince this century: Jude Law: 'You get to speak possibly the most beautiful lines about humankind ever given to an actor.' Simon Russell Beale: 'Hamlet is a very hospitable role: it will take anything you throw at it.' David Tennant: 'No other part has been so satisfying. It was tough, but utterly compelling.' Maxine Peake: 'Hamlet was a way of accessing bits of me as an actress I've not been able to access before.' Adrian Lester: 'Working with Peter Brook on Hamlet changed me as an actor, and for the better.' The book benefits from the author's interviews with six leading directors of the play during these years: Greg Doran, Nicholas Hytner, Michael Grandage, John Caird, Sarah Frankcom and Simon Godwin. Many other productions are described, from those starring Michael Redgrave, Alec Guinness and Paul Scofield in the 1950s, to the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott and Paapa Essiedu in recent times. The volume also includes an updated text of the author's earlier book Hamlet Observed, and an account of actors' experiences of performing at Elsinore.

A New York Times Notable Book: “A loving testament to the enduring ability of Shakespeare’s play to connect in myriad ways across countries and cultures” (Pop Matters). For the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the Globe Theatre undertook an unparalleled journey: to take Hamlet to every country on the planet, to share this beloved play with the entire world. The tour was the brainchild of Dominic Dromgoole, artistic director of the Globe, and in Hamlet: Globe to Globe, Dromgoole takes readers along with him. From performing in sweltering deserts, ice-cold cathedrals, and heaving marketplaces, and despite food poisoning in Mexico, the threat of ambush in Somaliland, an Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and political upheaval in Ukraine, the Globe’s players pushed on. Dromgoole shows us the world through the prism of Shakespeare—what the Danish prince means to the people of Sudan, the effect of Ophelia on the citizens of Costa Rica, and how a sixteenth-century play can touch the lives of Syrian refugees. And thanks to this incredible undertaking, Dromgoole uses the world to glean new insight into this masterpiece, exploring the play’s history, its meaning, and its pleasures. “The Shakespearean equivalent of Bourdain’s TV series, Parts Unknown. . . . [Dromgoole’s] aesthetic principle, or unprincipled aesthetic, makes him a natural tour guide for global Shakespeare . . . A comic epic.” —The Washington Post

A morbid tragedy about mortality, madness, and murder, Hamlet follows the eponymous Prince of Denmark as he plots to avenge his father's murder at the hands of Claudius, Hamlet's uncle and the current king, who married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Haunted by a ghost and arguing with his girlfriend Ophelia, Hamlet struggles to take revenge, as delay and feigned insanity preoccupy him. Rounding out the cast are other famous figures, like Horatio, and Polonius, and of course, the Gravedigger, who finds the skull of "poor Yorick." Perhaps Shakespeare's most popular play, Hamlet.

Drama. Literary Nonfiction. In the hit 2016 Shotgun Players production of Hamlet, seven actors learned all the roles. Each night, in front of the audience, they drew from Yorick's skull the characters they would play, then had five minutes to get ready before show time. PLAYING HAMLET ROULETTE explores what eventually emerged as the production's true subjects: failure, expectation, possibility, and democracy. In these pages, the production's director, actors, designers, and audience explore the wide ranging implications of these subjects both in and out of theatre. How might a critical consideration of creative experiences with failure expand our expectations of what is possible in our democratic societies? Theatre makers, goers, students, and teachers alike will enjoy the book for its exploration of rehearsal processes and of the impact theatre performances can have on audiences, as well as its uniquely poly-vocal analysis of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. "A mind- bending new production... Refreshing... The actors' ability to pull off this Hamlet is simply awe-inspiring. And the format makes you examine your preconceptions of both the play and the nature of theater: All lines of gender, age and race will be crossed at some point."--San Francisco Chronicle "Uplifting and weirdly affecting... You immediately notice that there isn't a conventional Hamlet in the cast. They are a wonderfully eclectic bunch: men and women, a smattering of ages and races, even different acting styles... We are plunged into a democracy of infinite possibilities... A unique and rich response to the play... We should be thankful to witness such a circus of daring."--KQED.org "By opening up Hamlet to thousands of possible casting combinations, Jackson inevitably defies traditional assumptions about the gender, age and race of the play's well-known characters... This spontaneous diversity seizes upon the universality of Shakespeare's work in a way that many other productions fail to--fully revealing the kernels of common humanity within each character... An exhilarating journey, and one that manages to stoke the audience's appreciation for the very mechanics of theater while its powerhouse cast brings new vitality--and vigor--to a well-known play."--East Bay Express

Who will you be? Hamlet? Claudius? Ophelia? Rosencrantz or Guildenstern?! Hamlet like you have never experienced it before: quick, fun, and easy to understand. Designed for 6-20+ actors, kids, families, or anyone who wants to enjoy and perform Shakespeare's classic play. Hamlet for Kids is a play versatile enough for sibling fun, classes, drama groups, homeschool groups, or backyard performances. It's appropriate and fun for all ages! Plays range from 15 to 25 minutes. Which character will your kids be?! What you will get: Fun! 3 hilarious modifications for group sizes: -- 6-7+ -- 8-14+ -- 11-20+ Actual lines from Shakespeare's play highlighted for easy identification Creatively funny and witty telling of the remaining script A delightfully funny rendition that is easy for ADULTS to understand too! A kid who loves Shakespeare! This mini-melodramatic masterpiece is sure to spark a love of Shakespeare. Shakespeare is difficult enough in class or watching onstage, let alone trying to teach the stories to children, but as the author's mantra states in the book, "there is no better way to learn than to have fun! "Kids who have read this have also eventually purchased the entire Shakespeare works, and have completed 'hero' reports on Shakespeare at school. Guaranteed to have you coming back for more!

Every reader is an actor according to Rosenberg. To prepare the actor-reader for insights, Rosenberg draws on major intepretations of the play worldwide, in theatre and in criticism, wherever possible from the first known performances to the present day. The book is rich and provocative on every question about the play.

A study of actresses playing the role of Hamlet on stage and screen.