By William Shakespeare
Translator: George Volceanov
Text adaptation: Declan Donnellan
Company name: "Marin Sorescu" National Theater in Craiova
Company country: Romania
Director: Declan Donnellan
Distribution:
Vlad Udrescu – Hamlet
Claudius Mihail - Claudius
Ramona Dragulescu – Gertrude
Raluca Paun – Polonius
Flavia Hojda / Theodora Bălan – Ophelia
Alex Stoicescu – Laertes
Eugen Titu – Ghost
Cătălin Vieru – Rosencrantz
Darko Huruiala – Guildenstern
Marian Politic – Gravedigger 1/Third actor in the play
Angel Rababoc – The King in the play/The Priest
Costinela Ungureanu – Queen from the play/Gropar 2
Mircea Mogoșeanu – Străjer 1
Mihnea Presură – Străjer 2
The creative team:
Set design: Nick Ormerod
Assistant director: Laurentiu Tudor
Set design assistant: Adelina Galiceanu
Music: Tibor Cari
Fight choreography – fencing: Antonie Mihail
Sound design: George Udrea, Dan Fenesan
Light design: Dodu Ispas, Marian Tudorache, Alina Mitrache
Technical directors: Cristian Norel Petec / Sorin Gruia
Prompter: Adrian Tîrcă
Producer: Claudia Gorun
Poster design: Denisa Neațu
Show synopsis:
It is often overlooked that Shakespeare turned four of the most boring words in the English language into the most famous line in universal theatre, "To be or not to be". How can something so abstract resonate across so many cultures and eras? Some say the answer is simple: ""to be!"" Rather than wondering about existence, questions that are unanswerable, we should simply embrace life and move on.
The question continues to haunt many people. Its importance lies in the unknown 'why'. Sometimes we do pointless things, really terrible things, for no apparent reason or benefit. And we run around in despair asking ""Why?! Why?!”” Humans are the only animals who can be irrationally cruel, who can commit spectacular acts of violence both on themselves and on other people.
Perhaps this is related to the fact that humans are the only beings who can question their own existence. Sometimes people do wonderful or terrible things just to prove that we exist. Hamlet's dilemma embodies this struggle. But not directly, but enigmatically, like a ghost around the dark corridors of Elsinore.
Company description:
With a history of 165 years, awarded over time on all meridians of the world, the "Marin Sorescu" National Theater in Craiova is present among the great theaters of the world. Member of the European Theater Convention (CTE) since 1995, being the first theater from a Central and Eastern European country to be a member of this international trade association. Internationally recognized, the National Theater in Craiova has participated in the most important festivals in the world: Edinburgh, Avignon, Holland Festival in Amsterdam, Wiener Festwochen in Vienna, Theater Der Welt, Munich, Shakespeare Festivals in Tokyo, Gdansk or Bath , Israel Festival, Jerusalim, Theater Festival of the Americas in Montreal, etc. "You sometimes wonder if this company is not the best put together since Brecht's Berliner Ensemble, or perhaps Peter Brook's Royal Shakespeare Company" (The Stage, May 1997).
Director biography:
Declan Donnellan, writer, film and theater director, was born on August 4, 1953, in Manchester, England. In 1981, Donnellan, along with Nick Ormerod, founded the renowned theater company Cheek by Jowl. Since then, the company has traveled to more than 400 cities around the world with productions such as "As You Like It", "Duchess of Malfi", "Boris Godunov", "Ubu roi", "Measure for Measure".
During his career, Donnellan has directed theater productions on renowned stages around the world, including the Royal National Theater in London, the Avignon Festival, the Maly Drama Theater in St. Petersburg and the Salzburg Festival. His portfolio also extends to opera and ballet, creating adaptations of plays such as "Falstaff" and "Romeo and Juliet."
His literary contributions extend beyond the stage, with his book The Actor and the Target being translated into 15 languages. His new volume, The Actor and Space, will be published this year.
Director nominations and/or awards:
Olivier Awards for Director of the Year (1987), Best Director of a Musical (1994), Best Director of a Play (1995) and Outstanding Achievement (1990); Nominations for the 2023 UNITER Awards, Oedipus Rege: Best Show, Best Direction, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Order of Charlemagne of Andorra; International Stanislavski Prize.
Show duration: 2 hours (without break)
Special mentions show: For audiences over 12 years old