“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man…”
…especially if they’re naked on stage.
Prepare yourselves, theatre lovers—an all-male version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is coming to Brooklyn and these thespians won’t be sporting Elizabeth garb for very long. The actors will slowly begin to strip down to symbolize poignant and important moments in the play.
I’ve always been a fan of Shakespeare, but maybe if this had been around when I was taking High School AP English, I would have joined an acting troupe!
The play is being produced by Torn Out Theater and will be directed by Pitr Strait who received lots of attention for directing an all-female, nude production of The Tempest. After receiving a lot of comments about the use of the female body for his last play, Strait began work on this production that will celebrate the male form as a backdrop to one of Shakespeare’s most beloved tragedies.
Actor Brendan Walsh has said:
Hamlet is a play about who is being truthful and who is not, and deceit and false faces, and when you are completely revealed, being naked, you’re not hiding a whole lot.
Walsh will be portraying the role of Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother.
The role of Hamlet will be played by Jake Austin Robertson who is getting ready to leave it all on the stage, metaphorically and literally.
Robertson shared with the NY Daily News:
I’d be lying if I said I’m not nervous. Upon being offered the part, I was cautious about the role of nudity, or let’s say nakedness, which I think holds deeper significance, in the play. So I hope that audiences will push past the shock of nakedness on stage, and see what it tells us about Hamlet.
Torn Out Theater’s production of Hamlet will run on August 10, 11, and 12 at 5:30pm and August 13th at 2:00pm at The Music Pagoda in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Seats are first-come, first-served and everyone—so get there early if you want to be witness to this unclothed version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
