Skip to content
The Wooster Group The Wooster Group
Past Work

Hamlet

March 2005 – August 2013

In The Wooster Group’s Hamlet, Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is re-imagined by mixing and repurposing Richard Burton’s 1964 Broadway production, directed by John Gielgud. The Burton production was recorded in live performance from 17 camera angles and edited into a film that was shown as a special event for only two days in nearly 1,000 movie houses across the U.S.

The idea of bringing a live theater experience to thousands of simultaneous viewers in different cities was trumpeted as a new form called “Theatrofilm,” made possible through “the miracle of Electronovision.” The Wooster Group attempts to reverse the process, reconstructing a hypothetical theater piece from the fragmentary evidence of the edited film. We channel the ghost of the legendary 1964 performance, descending into a kind of madness, intentionally replacing our own spirit with the spirit of another.

Media & Ephemera

Production History

Additional Credits

Presented through special arrangement with Paul Brownstein.

The 1964 stage production of Hamlet was produced on Broadway by Alexander H. Cohen at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre under the direction of John Gielgud.

Special thanks to Richard Prince.

Laertes’ songs by FISCHERSPOONER; additional music by Warren Fischer. “Song #1 Laertes Act IV, Scene VII” and “Song #2: Laertes Act I Scene III” written by FISHCERSPOONER for The Wooster Group’s production of Hamlet under exclusive license to Capitol Recrods, Inc. FS Studios LLC/Music of Windswept (ASCAP) 2007/All rights reserved.

Geoff Abbas and Matt Tierney originated elements of the sound score; Dan Dobson, John Collins, Jim Dawson, and Joby Emmons also contributed to the sound. Reid Farrington collaborated in the original video design; Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck and Zbigniew Bzymek originated elements of the video; and Margaret Mann, Shaun Irons, and Lauren Petty contributed to the video. Elements of the men’s clothes were provided by Adam Kimmel. Natalie Thomas was the original movement coach.

Men’s clothes provided by Adam Kimmel.

A co-production of The Wooster Group and the 30 Festival of Barcelona Grec-Institute de Cultura, Ajuntament of Barcelona.

Selected Press

Tags

Experimental TheaterWilliam Shakespeare