Hamlet Intensive

A detailed examination of Hamlet for senior secondary students.

Every generation has their Hamlet. From Edmund Kean to John Bell to Brendan Cowell. Hamlet is a play for the ages and Hamlet Intensive investigates the many and varied ways Shakespeare’s great tragedy has been interpreted.

Four actors discover what motivates Hamlet, what prevents him from acting and what obstacles stand in his way. They also reveal the radical nature of Shakespeare’s characterisation of a man torn by inner and external conflict. Hamlet was a thinker, a renaissance man, who didn’t just respond to what was in front of him.

The script explores how a modern audience might “read” the play in terms of sound, lighting, music and acting styles as well as Hamlet’s relationship with the audience.

Style: Shakespeare in the contemporary world

Length: 45 minutes

Casting notes: Flexible cast options for a classroom context: four students could play the designated actors with additional students playing the Shakespearean characters.

Cast age: 16 to 18, 18+

Audience age: teen, young adult

Australian Script Centre