German premier

The intimacy of a theatre dressing room, makeup stands rolling around, stage fright. Ten actors reflect and question about their own existence. Here, Hamlet is not the young prince hot-headedly looking for vengeance but rather a middle-aged man somewhere between comfortable security and doubts about his own illusions.

Theatre within theatre, the stage as a reflection of reality – the actors and people in the piece are almost indistinguishable from one another. The burning need for self-analysis is as current today as at the time of William Shakespeare’s brilliant piece between 1568 and 1602. Keeping to the original in terms of plot and characters, Oskaras Koršunovas creates a modern, gripping transposition full of thrilling energy.

Oskaras Koršunovas, born in Vilnius in 1969, studied direction at the Lietuvos muzikos ir teatro akademija from 1989-93 and worked as stage director at the Lietuvos nacionalinis dramos teatras in Vilsius from 1997-99. He founded the OKT / Oskaras Koršunovas teatras in 1999. Since the early 90s he has created about 30 productions that were shown on all major European festivals. In 1997 Koršunovas was guest of the euro-scene Leipzig with »The old woman« and in 2001 with »A midsummer night’s dream«.

»This ›Hamlet‹ by Oskaras Koršunovas is the least uncompromising of his productions. The truth is screamed out; it’s brutal, explicit and bloody. No spark of sentimentality, weakness or doubts« (Daiva Sabaseviciene, 7 meno dienos, Vilnius, 25.04.2008).