The Chaincourt Theatre Company at Goethe University Frankfurt is performing Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in the 2024/25 winter semester
“Time is out of joint!” Shakespeare’s protagonist Hamlet begins the eponymous play with these words describing a time of political upheaval, uncertainty about the future and untrustworthy leaders. Although Shakespeare’s Hamlet was first performed more than 400 years ago, it couldn’t be more topical: Time is indeed out of joint.
This year, the Chaincourt Theatre Company dares to tackle Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one of the world’s most famous and challenging plays. Following his father’s death, Hamlet, the crown prince of Denmark, returns to the Danish court, only to discover that his uncle has ascended the throne and married his mother. What’s more, his father’s ghost is haunting the court with terrible news and a mission for Hamlet: revenge. What follows is a story full of intrigue, questions of individual responsibility, love and madness.
Consisting of a cast of students from various faculties, Goethe University Frankfurt’s Chaincourt Theatre Company consists of new and familiar faces both on and offstage. The group is led by James Fisk, a lecturer in English and English Studies at the Institute for English and American Studies, who is also the theater’s artistic director. “Join us in travelling to a time out of joint and enjoy the resulting performance, characterized by a combination of ambitious new arrivals and years of acting and theater experience,” Fisk says. Performances are in English and take place on the stage in the IG-Farbenhaus annex.
Performances: Premiere on January 31; further shows on February 1, 6, 7 and 8. The performance starts at 7:30 pm. Venue: Room NG 1.741, IG Farbenhaus annex, Campus Westend.
Tickets: 10 €/5 € (discount) – tickets are available at the box office one hour before the performance begins (no advance booking).
Contact: James Fisk (artistic director), fisk@em.uni-frankfurt.de or via Instagram @chaincourttheatre