Hambletts present Hamblett
A darkly funny delve into identity, mortality and what it is ‘to be’?
A young woman from Stratford-upon-Avon receives a shocking diagnosis. Entering the hospital MRI scanner, she contemplates her uncanny connection with Hamlet. Through dialogue between 21st-century Olivia’s mind and the onstage ‘Hamlet,’ this production explores life and death through the medium of Shakespeare’s famous play. Using both contemporary and Shakespearian language, this powerful yet incredibly funny piece, written and performed by Olivia Hamblett, questions what it is ‘to be’.
Premiering at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this solo show includes a soundscape and voiceover by ‘Olivia’ to which the onstage ‘Hamlet’ reacts. Dressed in pseudo-traditional Hamlet costume – complete with short hose and Converse trainers, Olivia adds laughter and lightness to the experience, while drawing the audience into a thought-provoking 40-minute performance – the duration of each frequent MRI appointment endured by a brain tumour patient.
Olivia Hamblett was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour on her 16th birthday. She has received Proton Beam Therapy and a year of chemotherapy. Now 23, she lives with this invisible disability, under the ‘watch and wait’ protocol. Olivia graduated from Birkbeck, University of London, this summer, has been a member of Playbox Theatre, Ustinov Theatre School and recently Soho Theatre’s Stand Up Comedy Lab.
Hambletts focus on producing delicately-woven storytelling in new forms of performance. Current projects include national tours of Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words & Music starring Anton Lesser; That Roar: George Eliot in Words & Music, starring Harriet Walter and SuRie; A Beautiful Thread: Thomas Hardy in Words & Music, starring Anton Lesser; and Bhangra Symphonica with Orchestra of the Swan and Bhangra Rock band, Kissmet. Featured on Times Radio, BBC TV and Radio, this is their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut.
Listings information
Venue: theSpace on the Mile (V39)
Dates: 19–25 August 2024
Time: 10:10 (0hr40)
Ticket prices: £8 / concessions £6
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Age: Suitable for 14+
For more information, photos, interviews, or media contact Judy Reaves on +44 7803 929359 or email judy@hambletts.com
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
theSpaceUK Press Office / publicity@theSpaceUK.com / 0845 557 7519
