Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
Speculative Design Project
York Theatre Royal Prize
When reading Hamlet I became interested in the key themes of mortality, spirituality, love and political morality. I took Hamlet out of its historical context and set it in a Lynchian dream-space, an alternate reality. This is tumultuous and apocalyptic world where the eerie glow of a neon sign penetrates the darkness; the omnipresence of electricity is oppressive and symbolic of the deceit which runs like a current through the play.
The once great state is now governed by a regime in decline. There is a sense that the bright lights of the new monarch are in stark contrast to the old traditions of his predecessor. Troughs of blood punctuate the space, suggesting that is a society which has been built on bloodshed.
