Translation: George Volceanov

Producer: „Marin Sorescu” National Theatre, Craiova

Cast: Hamlet (Vlad Udrescu), Claudius (Claudiu Mihail), Gertrude (Ramona Drăgulescu), Ophelia (Flavia Hojda, Theodora Bălan), Polonius (Raluca Păun), Laertes (Alex Stoicescu), The Ghost (Eugen Titu), Rosencrantz (Cătălin Vieru), Guildenstern (Darko Huruială), Gravedigger 1 / Third actor in the play (Marian Politic), King in the play / Priest (Angel Rababoc), Queen in the play / Gravedigger 2 (Costinela Ungureanu), Guard 1 (Mircea Mogoșeanu), Guard 2 (Mihnea Presură)

Director & Adaptation: Declan Donnellan

Set Design: Nick Ormerod

Assistant Director: Laurențiu Tudor

Assistant Set Design: Adelina Galiceanu

Music: Tibor Cári

Lighting Design: Dodu Ispas

Stage Fights – Fencing: Antonie Mihail

Duration: 2 hours (without intermission)

Recommended age: 14+

UNITER Award for Best Leading Actor – Vlad Udrescu for the title role

Note: Performance with audience on stage.

Synopsis: It is often overlooked that Shakespeare transformed four of the most boring words in the English language into the most famous line in world theater, “To be or not to be.” How can something so abstract resonate across so many cultures and eras? Some say the answer is simple: “to be!” Rather than asking questions about existence, which have no answers, we should simply embrace life and move on.

The question continues to haunt many people. Its importance lies in the unknown “why.” Sometimes we do senseless things, truly terrible things, seemingly without reason or benefit. And we run around in despair, asking, “Why?! Why?!” Humans are the only animals capable of irrational cruelty, capable of spectacular acts of violence both toward themselves and others.

Perhaps this is related to the fact that humans are the only beings who can question their own existence. Sometimes, people do wonderful or horrible things just to prove that we exist. Hamlet’s dilemma embodies this struggle. But not directly, rather enigmatically, like a ghost wandering the dark corridors of Elsinore. – Declan Donnellan