A company of seasoned classical actors embrace the brutality of the greatest play ever written. A gripping, ensemble style brings exhilaration and violence to the unforgettable music and delicacy of the words.
A company of seasoned classical actors embrace the brutality of the greatest play ever written. A gripping, ensemble style brings exhilaration and violence to the unforgettable music and delicacy of the words.
The King of Denmark is dead. Consumed with grief, Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his father’s death with devastating consequences for his family and the Kingdom.
The spirit of a murdered king, the wrath of a vengeful son, and the turmoil of Denmark in 1601. Shakespeare’s most iconic and challenging play tells the tale of young Prince Hamlet avenging his father’s death and fighting the new King who stole his throne.
Blending traditional and physical theatre with a musical score, this muscular production brings vividly to life some of literature’s most vibrant language and characters in a way you’ve never seen before: bold, exciting, and action-packed.
Director: Max Lewendel
Production Manager: Theo Holloway
Technical PM: Lisa Berrystone
Set Designer: Curtis C. Trout
Costume Designer: Kate Unwin, Isabella Van Braeckel
Sound & Music: Theo Holloway
Lighting Designer: Declan Randall
Company SM: Alexandra Kataigida, Nathan Hughes
Re-lighter/TSM: Stevie Carty
Graphic Artist: Obsidian Designs, Alison Hooper, Rebecca Maltby
Photographer: George Riddell
Marketing: Arsalan Sattari
Original Set Design: Christopher Hone
Costume Fabrication: Harriet Dyson, Laura Le Bayon
Asst Lighting Design: Stevie Carty
Master Carpenter: Sophie Skelton
Props Master: Lisa Berrystone
Scenic Artist: Isa Shaw-Abulafia
Hair and Makeup: Tabitha Mei-Bo Li
Fight Director: Ronin Traynor
Fight Assistant: Alexandra Kataigida
Movement Director: Caroline Mueller
Movement Assistant: Amaia Mugica
Assistant Director: Owen Lindsay
SM Intern: Sam Rayner-Adams
Voice Coach: Nick Trumble
Director: Martin Gooch
Editor: Theo Holloway
DOP: Mark Hammond
Art Department: Inma Cook
Makeup: Layan Nourouz
Crew: Lisa Berrystone
Camera Assistant: David Creed
Location: Thornbury Castle
Hamlet: Nicholas Limm
Ophelia: Kerry Gooderson
Claudius: Will Harrison-Wallace
Gertrude: Portia Booroff
Polonius: Robert Harris-Hughes
Laertes: Andrew Venning
Rosencrantz: Virginia V. Hartmann
Guildenstern: James Heatlie
Horatio: Camille Marmié
Icarus takes on this challenging and daunting play, arguably the world's greatest dramatic work, with a nine-person cast in a rivetingly refreshing kineric style, cutting the original text to around two hours 30 minutes.
No passive, pensive Hamlet in this production!
This will be clear, kinetic, and above all
accessible, perfect for newcomers to the
bard as well as aficionados of Shakespearean language.
Performance style draws from Greek traditions and contemporary ensemble performance with Grotowski, Laban, and Stanislavski embraced. Classical Danish and Greek design concepts supported by rich production values bring this production to audiences across the UK.
Free programmes for school groups (normally £2 - £3)
Following on from last year's excellent production of Othello, Icarus Theatre Collective and Harrogate Theatre made their return to the Byre with another Shakespearean favourite, Hamlet, directed by Max Lewendel. For a protagonist who could easily become melodramatic, Giles Roberts made Hamlet believable and moved seamlessly through his emotional transformations. Loren O'Dair was similarly convincing as Ophelia, continually engaging when on stage despite having comparatively few lines. The casting of Dani McCallum as a female Horatio must also be noted for turning the traditional Shakespearean concept of men playing women on its head and adding an interesting dynamic to Horatio's relationship with Hamlet, not unaided by her compelling acting.
Giles Roberts of Icarus Theatre Collective gave a poignant performance as the grief stricken Hamlet, sharing the loss of his father in both his madness and his melancholy. The tragic hero was supported by a strong cast, highlighted by a stark contrast in the brooding Laertes (Nick Holbek) and a powerful performance by John Eastman as Polonius and as the ghost of his dead father.
The Icarus Theatre is not shy when it comes to defying the rules and presenting things in the darkest of lights. If you weren't familiar with Hamlet then the full page write up on depression in the programme would have been your first clue of what was to follow. However, if you were familiar with The Great Dane then director Max Lewendel's spin on the classic tale of revenge, madness, deception and sexuality still held surprises in store.
