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Kicking off a new multi-year partnership between BAM and the National Theatre of Great Britain, National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie (Operation Mincemeat) brings his contemporary HAMLET to US audiences this spring at the Harvey Theater at BAM.
The production features previously announced Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) as Hamlet, joined by Maureen Beattie (Yerma) as First Player, Joe Bolland (The Play That Goes Wrong) as Guildenstern, Matthew Cottle (“The Windsors”) as Polonius, Tim Dewberry (Antony & Cleopatra) as Marcellus/Captain, Ayesha Dharker (“Doctor Who”) as Gertrude, Ryan Ellsworth (The Motive and the Cue) as Ghost/Player King/First Gravedigger, Tom Glenister (A Doll’s House) as Laertes, Mary Higgins (Hamlet) as Osric/Voltemand, Liz Jadav (Pygmalion) as Nurse/Priest, Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer (Much Ado About Nothing) as Fortinbras, Hari MacKinnon (The Comedy of Errors) as Rosecrantz, Francesca Mills (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Ophelia, Sophia Papadopoulos (Henry VI) as Cornelius/English Ambassador/Second Gravedigger, Alistair Petrie (“Sex Education”) as Claudius, Seb Slade (Chariots of Fire) as Francisco/Reynaldo, Noel White (Hamlet) as Bernardo and Tessa Wong (Hamlet) as Horatio.
“This is a kinetic, next-gen Hamlet that illuminates the human condition for the here and now,” says BAM Artistic Director, Amy Cassello. “Robert Hastie’s bold vision breaks convention with abandon. The cast is superb and this production is the perfect kickoff for our new multi-year alliance with The National Theatre.”
“As The National Theatre gears up to celebrate 60 years since taking our first production to the US, we are excited to be forging new paths with a multiyear collaboration at BAM – an iconic creative powerhouse in New York City,” said Indhu Rubasingham, Director and Co-Chief Executive of The National Theatre. “It’s deeply fitting to bring Hamlet as our first production, a play with such profound and lasting legacy, especially here at The National Theatre. We can’t wait to share Robert Hastie’s bold and brilliant production and this extraordinary company with audiences in New York.”
The creative team for HAMLET includes Ben Stones (Set & Costume Designer), Jessica Hung Han Yun (Lighting Designer), Alexandra Faye Braithwaite (Sound Designer), Richard Taylor (Composer), Ira Mandela Siobhan (Movement/Choreographer), Kate Waters (Fight Director) and Georgie Straight (Associate Director) with casting by Alastair Coomer, CDG and Martin Poile, CDG.
Directed by Robert Hastie and written by William Shakespeare, HAMLET will begin performances on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at the Harvey Theater at BAM (651 Fulton St. Brooklyn, NY) for a strictly limited four-week engagement through Sunday, May 17, 2026. The official opening night will be Monday, May 4, 2026.
The production marks a new partnership wherein National Theatre shows will transfer to BAM’s Harvey Theater, and National Theatre Live productions will screen at BAM Rose Cinemas. With support from National Theatre’s education teams, BAM will work with local schools across Brooklyn to deliver its (Re) Centering Theater program, in which students develop, revise, and rehearse a work of theater inspired by Shakespeare’s text, culminating in a performance at BAM and partner schools. In addition, BAM will welcome students to a matinee performance of Hamlet.
Audiences and visitors will also be able to learn more about Hamlet and its historic legacy with the two organizations through a free exhibition in the Harvey Theater at the BAM Strong and a co-curated digital collection with the National Theatre.
