Casting is complete for the National Theatre's upcoming production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, which has been adapted for audiences ages 8-12 and will play the Dorfman Theatre April 4-6.
The limited engagement of this new version, penned by Jude Christian and directed by Tinuke Craig, is part of a tour to state schools in Liverpool, Wolverhampton, South Essex, and Sunderland that begins March 7. The tour will reach over 5,000 pupils as part of NT’s commitment to introducing young people to theatre.
Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer will star in the title role alongside Efé Agwele, David Ahmad, Jessica Alade, Curtis Callier, Claire Redcliffe, Vedi Roy, and Chanel Waddock.
Director 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 distill 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.”
Hamlet is designed by Frankie Bradshaw with lighting design by Paul Knott, sound design by Clark Henry-Brown and Dom Coyote, movement direction by Morgann Runacre-Temple, fight direction by Jeremy Barlow, and music direction by Dom Coyote, who also composed music for the production.
Tickets are available at NationalTheatre.org.
