HAMLESS: Hamlet Without Hamlet

By William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Erin Nealer

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, edited to remove the title character entirely. King Claudius and Queen Gertrude, the Danish courtiers, and the Norwegian invaders time to speak their minds about the Prince – and each other. They struggle to keep the peace within the Danish court, avoid a war with Norway, and quell a rebellion, all while tiptoeing around young Hamlet’s increasingly unstable moods.

Performances

March 12, 13, 19, 20 at 8PM EDT
March 14 & 21 2PM EDT
2021

From the Director:

This past year has been so full of disconnection, depression, and distrust — I couldn’t bring myself to add to our collective malaise by introducing audiences to the moody, volatile Prince Hamlet. The character leads the audience – and the rest of the Danish court – by the hand to his bleak point of view. This led me to question: What would happen to the play if I cut out Hamlet’s presence entirely? What would remain?

To my delight, a whole new play emerged from this exercise – one bursting with political intrigue, gossip, and poetry that’s often cut in a more traditional version of Hamlet. Without Hamlet’s constant editorializing, the remaining characters can speak for themselves. The cast worked to peel back layers of preconceptions around these famous roles, and we spent rehearsals focused on their own actions and words instead of experiencing the show through Hamlet’s jaded, dispassionate lens.

If this is your first or hundredth introduction to Shakespeare’s work, I hope the audience can use “Hamless” as an opportunity to meet these characters afresh and find some new connections in a familiar story.

Cast

Claudius	Jacqueline Youm
Gertrude	Jaki Demarest
Laertes	Allison McAlister
Polonius	Justin Bigelow
Ophelia	Lexi Stein
Voltimand/Player Poisoner	Eve La Puma
Horatio	Renee Namakau Ombaba
Rosencrantz/Fortinbras	Claudia Bach
Guildenstern/Player Queen	Michael Angeloni
Captain/Player King	Mikki Barry

Crew

Director	Erin Nealer
Stage Manager	Megan Parlett
Zoominematographer	Alan Duda
Dramaturg	Tiffany M. Waters
Sound	Megan Parlett
Producer	Joshua Engel
Publicity	Wes Dennis