Video: Watch the Trailer For SHORT SHAKESPEARE! HAMLET
The production runs through February 28.
By: Michael Major Feb. 04, 2026
All of the betrayal, passion, and poetry of Shakespeare’s most famous play—distilled into just 75 minutes. Watch the trailer for Short Shakespeare! Hamlet at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
This original and accessible 75-minute adaptation directed by CST Artistic Director Edward Hall brings new clarity to the timeless classic, offering a chance for audiences to see themselves reflected through the 400-year-old story. Reeling from grief, the young Prince of Denmark navigates the loss of his father, his mother’s betrayal, and relationships torn apart.
Jaylon Muchison returns to Chicago Shakespeare in the title role of Hamlet, after acclaimed performances in Henry V, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Much Ado About Nothing.
He is joined by a talented ensemble cast featuring Scott Aiello as Claudius (Richard III and Henry V at CST), Joe Foust as Polonius (Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale, and more at CST), Charence Higgins as Ophelia (Shakes in the City: Twelfth Night at CST), Beric Orion (CST debut, credits with The Theatre School at DePaul and Prague Shakespeare Company), Jessica Dean Turner as Gertrude (Richard III at CST), and Maureen Yasko (CST debut, Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus and more at Babes With Blades Theatre Company).
Every performance includes a post-show conversation with the cast to give you an insider’s perspective into bringing the story to the stage. Public performances run in the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, January 31-February 28, and will be featured as part of Chicago Theatre Week 2026. The production will also welcome nearly 20,000 students from Chicagoland and beyond to weekday matinees.
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