Story perspectives

Hamlet Takes Center Stage: Stage, Film, and Inclusive Production

5/9/2026

Summary

Hiran Abeysekera Performs Hamlet

The National Theatre opened “Hamlet” at Brooklyn Academy of Music starring Hiran Abeysekera (actor).
Riz Ahmed (actor) stars in a film version of “Hamlet”.
Morfydd Clark (actress) spoke about the film on Feb. 4.
Anthony Hopkins (actor, 88) posts videos reciting Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy.
Chela De Ferrari (director) premiered a “Hamlet” production with eight actors with Down syndrome at Teatro La Plaza on Sept. 25, 2025 in New York.

Summary

Octavio Opens Hamlet

Hamlet opened at New York’s Theatre for a New Audience, starring Peruvian actor Octavio Bernaza with a neurodiverse cast.
Director Chela De Ferrari says Shakespeare lives in all performers and that working with actors with Down syndrome reconnects her with human being.
A cast member mimics Laurence Olivier’s “To be, or not to be” as his image flashes, adding urgency.
The production adds Bollywood-style dance, blending global culture with Shakespeare.

Summary

Karia Critiques Corruption

Karia frames his modern “Hamlet” as a corporate-corruption critique, setting the prince in a neon nightclub and a BMW chase.
The film opens with Hamlet removing his hands from a steering wheel as a truck barrels toward him, visualizing “to be or not to be.”
Abeysekera’s Brooklyn Hamlet adds physical comedy and directly addresses the audience, treating the play as self-aware.

History

Historical Context

In 1948 Laurence Olivier’s black-and-white film Hamlet won Best Picture and Best Actor, the only Shakespeare movie to earn two Academy Awards. Decades later, the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s neurodiverse productions, directed by Chela De Ferrari and starring Hiran Abeysekera, echo Olivier’s reinterpretation by casting beyond traditional norms, widening access to Shakespeare for new audiences.

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Hiran Abeysekera Performs Hamlet

The National Theatre opened “Hamlet” at Brooklyn Academy of Music starring Hiran Abeysekera (actor).
Riz Ahmed (actor) stars in a film version of “Hamlet”.
Morfydd Clark (actress) spoke about the film on Feb. 4.
Anthony Hopkins (actor, 88) posts videos reciting Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy.
Chela De Ferrari (director) premiered a “Hamlet” production with eight actors with Down syndrome at Teatro La Plaza on Sept. 25, 2025 in New York.

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