Senior School students wow audiences with a Hamlet performance like no other…

In March, our Senior School and Sixth Form students enthralled audiences with an adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic ‘Hamlet’, that was closer to home than anyone had ever seen it before!

Reimagined by our Head of Drama Miss Witts, this special Hymers production of Hamlet saw the drama unfolding in the city of Hull, set in the 90s. 

Bringing the story to a more relevant time and location for the audience only served to give the intrigue a more authentic feel, increasing the tension in the theatre, as the cast unfolded the plot before us. 

With a set designed by local artisan Ed Ullyart, many 90s Hull landmarks were resurrected on stage, such as Fletcher's fountain and our infamous white telephone boxes.

Oscar V, who played Claudius, told us, “Hamlet was definitely a challenge, as I am much more into musicals, so learning a Shakespeare play for a character as complex as Claudius and for a play as famous as Hamlet was slightly daunting at first, but now it is probably one of my favourite plays, and i have a much deeper appreciation for the genius that is Shakespeare. I had always loved the idea of setting Hamlet in a modern setting, as I have seen it done with other Shakespeare productions that I have seen, but it truly came together with the brilliant set designed by Ed!”

Shakespeare’s original play was still recognisable despite its facelift, with familiar favourites such as Claudius and Polonius up to no good, while Horatio steadfastly supported Hamlet until the bitter end.

Harriet J, who played Ophelia, said, “I loved playing the role of Ophelia and the cast and crew that were involved made it the best experience.”

The acting, staging, and all-round level of expertise on display throughout from not only the cast, but also the technical crew (who are students too), resulted in a truly memorable showcase of our students’ talent and maturity.