After a decade of pushing boundaries, polarising audiences, and creating some of Brisbane’s most unique theatrical experiences, The Danger Ensemble relocates to Melbourne with their latest season of The Hamlet Apocalypse at Theatre Works from 7 November 2018.
The Hamlet Apocalypse unfolds as seven actors stage Hamlet on the eve of the apocalypse. As the clock ticks down and the line between fiction and reality blur, actors, characters, and worlds collide… distilled into the simplest of human states. It’s a high stakes game where audience and actors alike are left asking; What’s fact? What’s fiction? What really matters?
“We were looking at the idea of the apocalypse in all its forms. We soon realised that how the world was ending was irrelevant, but it was essential that it was specific and personal for each performer, and that needn’t be shared with the audience,” explains Director Steven Mitchell Wright on the particular style of the work.
“It was evident that Hamlet was the best fit because of it’s themes around death, legacy, ghosts, incoming war or destruction, and love. As a company we actively pursue the collision and blurring of the actors as themselves and the characters they play.”
“The mash up of personal truth and experiences on stage and a characters journey creates a tension that we really enjoy – it’s difficult and it’s not always comfortable, but it’s rich territory.”
Pursuing an understanding of contemporary form and audiences, The Danger Ensemble’s work has stretched the gamut from reinvented classics Macbeth and The Wizard of Oz, to live-art experiments We Will Not Kiss Touch Frighten You in the Dark and CALIGULA, to punk-cabaret musical Who Killed Amanda Palmer and new works Loco Maricon Amor and The Hamlet Apocalypse.
A distinct highlight on the Melbourne arts calendar, The Hamlet Apocalypse is a dystopia of the now generation. A silent party, a desperate plea, a rambunctious prayer. A unique season, not to be missed!
“This is one of those rare plays that both devastates and uplifts, and reminds us there’s something in live theatre that can’t be recreated elsewhere.” – Daily Review
Director: Steven Mitchell Wright Featuring: Chris Beckey, Katrina Cornwell, Nicole Harvey, Thomas Hutchins, Polly Sará, Peta Ward, Mitch Wood Designers: Steven Mitchell Wright, Oscar Clark Lighting Design: Ben Hughes Sound Design and Composition: Dane Alexander
The Hamlet Apocalypse
Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
Season: 8 – 17 November 2018 (preview: 7 November)
Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au
For more information, visit: www.dangerensemble.com for details.
Image: Nicole Harvey features in The Hamlet Apocalypse – photo by Morgan Roberts / design by Sean Dowling