The RJ Theatre Company kicks off its 2023 season with Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Hamlet. The Prince of Denmark, home from university after the death of his father, is disturbed by his uncle Claudius' hasty usurpation of the dead King's throne and family. Confronted by the ghost of Hamlet senior, young Hamlet faces the conflict between indecision and responsibility as he seeks to avenge his father's murder.

Considered to be Shakespeare’s most famous play, evidence places Hamlet somewhere around the midpoint of Shakespeare’s career, and is one of the most quoted works in the English language. RJ Theatre's production of Hamlet is co-directed by Artistic Director, Emma Tadmor, and Roni Ishay. The two worked closely with Noa Yaron, a clinical psychologist specializing in personality disorders, and together they placed a strong emphasis on the psychology of the characters in the play.

Our hour-long production is an honest and complex portrayal of Hamlet, giving the audience a chance to look into the prince of Denmark from the inside out. Hamlet’s failed relationships with other people, the memories that haunt him, the inadequacy and the guilt he feels, the dichotomy of his existence and his lack of ability to integrate the different facets of himself, create a complex, volatile, unpredictable and at times dangerous young man.

As an explanation for his erratic behavior, we chose to explore the possibility that Hamlet suffered from DID (Dissociative identity disorder, previously named Multiple Personality Disorder). As such, in this production we treat Hamlet's personality as being “split” into four. Upon his return to Denmark, following his father's tragic death, Hamlet is forced to call forward four separate identities. Together, they must take arms against the sea of troubles with which Hamlet is faced. After his three protectors fail him, only our last Hamlet is left standing. Unshielded and unrestrained, Hamlet has nothing to lose and is now more dangerous than he has ever been before.

About theAdaptation - The script was adapted by Gary Lagden in the summer of 2018, and then edited and reimagined by Emma Tadmor in 2023. It was first put up by Lagden at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. An avant garde experimental version of Hamlet, this script offers a concentrated dose of what we believe to be the essence of the play.