Hamstrung

EDINBURGH FRINGE PREVIEW

Alas, poor Yorick! Though he’s not dead...

Hamlet’s legendary fellow of infinite jest is back to dig up the bones of his misspent life in this irreverent resurrection of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy.

Join Yorick as he reconnects with his lost love of performance, embarking on a high-spirited journey to discover what really happened in Elsinore all those years ago.

Hamstrung is a ‘stirring and impactful’ tragicomic ghost story about the space between live theatre and the afterlife.

To see or not to see? There is no question…

‘Cleverly taps into the timelessness of one of Shakespeare's most famous works’ ★★★★ (fringebiscuit)

Written and performed by George Rennie
Directed by Lisa Milla
Design consultation by Damien Stanton
Sound design by Lucas Button
Lighting design by Benedict Esdale
Artwork design by Faisal Ag
Artwork photography by Luka Booth

Hamstrung will be playing at Pleasance Courtyard for Edinburgh Fringe 2024.

“Because whatever has happened to humanity, whatever is currently happening, it is happening to us all. No matter how far off the screams of pain and terror, we live in one world.” (Alice Walker) //
Premiere of an experimental play that takes for its structure the four parts of the Geneva Convention – Wounded & Sick / Maritime / Prisoners of War / Civilians – to tell an ancient/contemporary story of the random depravity of war and its existential / psychological impacts for those who are involved and those who are not.

The work grows out of an international collaboration between local writer/theatremaker Mark C. Hewitt and renowned Norwegian percussionist/composer Thomas Strønen. Stylised and kaleidoscopic, the fractured evolving narrative is performed by 4 actresses from 4 different countries, variously delivering lines in English, French, Polish and a smattering of other languages.

• “BRILLIANT. Thought-provoking, raw, provocative, multi-dimensional; use of music, space, silence ... the brave lack of ‘closure’ or conventional narrative.” (Audience feedback)

• “Loved the performance, the set and how it changed, likewise the music ...” (Audience feedback)

• “A really powerful provocative piece.” (Audience feedback)

Written & directed by Mark C. Hewitt. Performed by Marta Carvalho, Leann O'Kasi, Melissa Sirol, Maria Ziołkowska. Music by Thomas Strønen, performed and recorded by Time Is A Blind Guide. Technical design by Paul Phillips. Videography by Matt Parsons. Movement consultant: Miriam King.