Full Casting Announced For Jude Christian and Tinuke Craig's HAMLET at the National Theatre

Hamlet's dad is dead. His uncle has taken over the kingdom and married Hamlet's mum. The whole world feels like it's turned upside down. A ghostly encounter reveals a dreadful deed has been done. Should Hamlet take revenge?

An energetic retelling of Shakespeare's most well-known tragedy, Hamlet, will perform in the Dorfman Theatre from 4 - 6 April 2022 and as part of a tour to state schools in Liverpool, Wolverhampton, South Essex and Sunderland from 7th March. Introducing young audiences to the world of Shakespeare, the production will tour into secondary schools for visiting primary school pupils and Year 7s to watch together. The tour will reach over 5,000 pupils across four weeks as part of the NT's commitment to introducing children and young people to theatre.

This version is adapted for audiences aged 8-12 by Jude Christian (othellomacbeth, Cinderella) and directed by Tinuke Craig (The Colour Purple, Vassa).

Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer performs the role of Hamlet alongside a full company including Efé Agwele, David Ahmad, Jessica Alade, Curtis Callier, Claire Redcliffe, Vedi Roy and Chanel Waddock.

Director Tinuke Craig said, "I'm so thrilled to be revisiting this project - especially after it was cut short by the start of the pandemic in 2020. It's a big challenge to take one of the greatest works in the canon and distil it to an hour long play for 8-12-year-olds, but one I'm so excited to be taking on again along with a fantastic cast and creative team. Not only do we have the task of creating an engaging production for an audience, but we also have a responsibility to introduce younger audiences to theatre, bringing productions to their home turf to provide an early, and often first, experience of Shakespeare that is welcoming, inclusive, exciting and fun."

Rufus Norris, Director of The National Theatre said, "It's so important that children from all backgrounds feel that the arts are open to them to participate in and enjoy, and so we're delighted to bring Tinuke Craig's reimagining of Hamlet to the stage of The National Theatre and directly into school halls. We hope this exciting first experience of Shakespeare and live theatre will inspire young audiences to discover more about theatre-making and support teachers to ensure creative learning continues to be a key part of a rounded education".

The production is designed by Frankie Bradshaw with lighting designed by Paul Knott. Sound is designed by Clark Henry-Brown and Dom Coyote. The Movement Director is Morgann Runacre-Temple and Fight Director is Jeremy Barlow. Music is composed and directed by Dom Coyote.

Tickets are now available at www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/hamlet

Performance schedule

7 - 11 Mar - Schools' tour in Liverpool in partnership with Liverpool Empire

14-18 Mar - Schools' tour in Wolverhampton in partnership with Wolverhampton Grand

24 Mar - 1 April - Hamlet at The National Theatre for school audiences

4 - 6 April - Hamlet at National Theatre for public audiences

18 - 22 April - Schools' tour in South Essex

25 - 29 April - Schools' tour in Sunderland in partnership with Sunderland Empire