University of Cape Town - 2009
“Shakespeare meets Fight Club” - Zane Henry
UCT Drama Department and Yawazzi Theatre Productions will be staging an exciting new adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet at The Little Theatre from the 16 of May 2009. This new adaptation brings the text closer to the experiences of our time, where action becomes confused with inaction. For Drama students, it is an experience to witness a modern concept approach to Elizabethan theatre. For English students, it offers insight into different areas of Shakespeare’s themes and for all it is an event of theatrical intrigue.
This new adaption works on the idea of multiple Hamlets, his inner conflict made tangible as his disparate drives fight amongst themselves to control Hamlet’s soul, destiny, and the state of Denmark. The text is restructured as a retelling, highlighting the struggle for power, and the moments when Hamlet’s decisions are made (or deferred) leading him to his fatal future. Student will get to experience the power of Shakespeare, as we explore some of the possibilities of the human condition.
Design: Jon Keevy / Costume Design: Leigh Bishop / Lighting Design: Daniel Galloway