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Please click on the picture to view images from the play.

The Arab League Hamlet examines the catastrophic nature of the contemporary political landscape.



The characters of Hamlet are delegates at a summit meeting, each armed with their own table, microphone, web-cam and bottle of Evian Against the backdrop of an empire desecrated by war, each character adopts the grammar of diplomatic negotiations in a fight for their own survival.
With the introduction of an Arms Dealer, desperately courted by each of the delegates, Shakespeare's universe firmly enters the present day. Visually, we are solidly located in a 21st century political universe, with the live-feeds and projection screen constantly reminding us of last night's television address by George W. Bush, or last week's summit in Bonn or Washington.

This arrangement allows Shakespeare's words to take on an uncanny metaphorical resonance.
As we observe the terminal phases of an Empire- the in-fighting, the bickering, the indecision- followed by its collapse and the birth of a New World Order, The Al-Hamlet Summit becomes a poetic and powerful critique of contemporary political scenarios.

The piece continues to evolve as it tours to the Middle East, assimilating content and signifiers that link it directly to today's Arab World. In its use of political, social, textual and theatrical codes, it is a striking example of contemporary trans-cultural theatre.