Hamlet: Community Performances

Grief twists the mind and conjures ghosts—but when the spirit of Hamlet’s father appears, he speaks not of madness, but of murder. Young Prince Hamlet must grapple with a haunting revelation: his mother has married his uncle, and his father’s death was no accident. As the waves beat against the shore and this web of lies is unraveled, Hamlet is pulled deeper into a current of grief, betrayal, and revenge.

Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy comes alive against a restless sea, where the pounding of the waves echoes the turmoil within one young man struggling to stay afloat. Will he be drowned in the depths of grief?

CSC’s annual Stage2 performances of Shakespeare’s most popular plays are designed for middle and high school audiences. Students just discovering Shakespeare  — and die-hard fans, as well  — won’t want to miss this tragically beautiful take on one of The Bard’s most famous works.

Friday May 14 at 7:00 PM

Saturday May 15 at 2:00 PM

SEE THY WORDS: All performances are Open Captioned. Captions powered by CCTheater™, from AccessTech, LLC (www.cctheater.com)

For schools seeking information regarding funding for transportation and other costs, see Funding Resources Tab above.

Additional support for Stage2 is provided by Paul Kastner.

About School Matinees and Workshops

If you’re looking for our daytime student matinee performances, click the button below.

CSC is thrilled to offer tickets to the Stage2 student matinee performances of Hamlet at no cost due to our partnership with Rodman for Kids and their Theatre for Kids Program.

Alongside this production, CSC will also be offering a number of in-school Hamlet enrichment workshops which can be delivered either virtually or in person.  Click the button below to learn more!

Who is Hamlet appropriate for?

Stage2 productions are presented using Shakespeare’s original text, cut for length to approximately 100 minutes without intermission. Our cuts focus on highlighting the themes, ideas and language that will resonate strongly for a student audience. Our creative team and performers make choices that serve to illuminate the storytelling for this audience without “watering down” the source material. School groups have the option of staying for a short post-show talk-back with the actors.

This year’s Stage2 production is created with a 6th through 12th grade curriculum/audience in mind. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most iconic and deeply psychological tragedies, touching on themes of grief, revenge, morality, and family betrayal. Shakespeare’s script includes depictions of murder, accidental killing, poisoning, sword duels, multiple fatalities on stage, simulated/real madness, and explicit discussions of suicidal ideation. We do encourage educators and/or parents to read the play being presented and make the best choice for their students of any age. We recommend discussing the play with your students before and after you view our production. Please use the information and graphic below to gain a better idea of what to expect from this year’s play and let us know if you have specific questions about content.

About our CSC2 Company

CSC2 is a company of early-career professional actors that works with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company to further develop skills in classical acting through performance (including in CSC’s flagship Shakespeare on the Common production), artistic and professional development, and through different educational and coaching settings.