“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty – and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”

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Originally staged as a promenade piece of theatre, This House is Elsinore

was filmed to bridge the gap between theatre and cinema.

 

Who is it we see when we go to see a production of ‘Hamlet’ – is it the Shakespearean character fraught with doubts and struggles penned over 400 years ago – is it the actor who needs to present a veneer of confidence and excitement at achieving this point in their career taking on one of the most sought after of roles – or is it the person beneath that, carrying the weight of expectation of the seminal performances which have gone before, the inadequacy and isolation that mirror the experiences of Hamlet himself. 

 

Who is on display, indeed the nature of acting itself - at those blurred boundary lines, is taken to a new level in this site-responsive promenade piece as the audience move with the performers through the back of house spaces of the Moat Theatre.  Shakespeare’s text is edited and repositioned to focus on Hamlet’s relationship with the women in his life: Gertrude and Ophelia – the audience, apparently accidentally perched at the corner of scenes which fall in their path or erupt around them.  We see Hamlet’s need for comfort and consolation as he faces into the trauma of his father’s murder but equally the choices he makes to block and reject it when offered. 

 

Performed by Roseanne Lynch and Brian McCarthy, the audience also hear the echoes of the two actors themselves, as they journey through the building, taking about their approach to taking on a role and presenting a character.

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Brian McCarthy - Hamlet

Roseanne Lynch - Ophelia / Gertrude

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Original Theatrical Production

Directed by Lianne O'Shea

Music & Sound by Richard Lennon

Lighting Design by Matt Burke

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Filmed Version

Directed by Richard Lennon & Lianne O'Shea

Cinematography/Editing by Richard Lennon

Camera Operation by Brendan Farrell & Richard Lennon

 

Presented as part of Culture Night 2022 this piece was commissioned by the Kildare Arts Service, supported by the Moat Theatre and funded under the Dept. of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Local Live Performance Scheme.