16 February 2017
Newsdesk
Hamlet for Free will run from Monday 10 – Thursday 13 April with five performances of the Almeida’s production of Hamlet, directed by Robert Icke with Andrew Scott in the title role, exclusively available to anyone aged 25 and under. Free tickets for Hamlet can be booked online now at almeida.co.uk.
Alongside the play, Hamlet For Free will feature a programme of free performances, events, and workshops inspired by the themes and making of Hamlet. The Almeida will be open from 9.30am each day during the festival with the entire building and café bar dedicated to young people.
Festival highlights include:
• Press Go, an interactive promenade piece created in response to the themes of Hamlet which will run throughout each day of the Festival. Press Go sees a group of fearless young actors invite their audience on a journey around Islington in a murder mystery thriller where every move they make has game-changing consequences.
Win or lose, how this story ends is entirely up to the audience. Playing in teams of two they will visit multiple locations, with the choices they make along the way affecting how their journey unfolds. Combining storytelling, gaming and the ingredients of a classic psychological thriller, Press Go is a bold, cinematic and playful alternate reality game developed in collaboration with the Almeida's Young Producers, written by Hannah Wood and directed by Christopher Elmer-Gorry.
• Jacob Anderson (aka Raleigh Ritchie) will take part in Lads Lounge, a discussion about crisis in modern masculinity, and talk about his television and music career. Jacob’s debut album ‘You’re A Man Now, Boy’ was released in 2016 and he can currently be seen on television as Greyworm in Game of Thrones.
• A programme of workshops which will provide young people with the opportunity to learn from leading industry professionals including Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold, award-winning spoken word artist Polarbear, Poet Vanessa Kisuule, stage and screen-writers Rachel De-Lahay and Vinay Patel, stage combat company RC Annie, immersive theatre-makers Coney, and members of the Hamlet cast. The Almeida technical team will demonstrate how lighting, sound and stage management come together to create a seamless performance and there will be opportunities to go behind the scenes at the Almeida to see how a production comes together.
• Answers Back: Who the hell’s in charge here? a panel event on the themes of leadership and division explored in Hamlet, will feature a panel of young people discussing what makes a good leader and how young people can motivate social change in this period of global political unrest.
• An Audio Described and Captioned matinee performance of Hamlet for young deaf or hard of hearing and blind or visually impaired audiences, preceded by a Touch Tour on Wednesday 12 April.
Hamlet for Free renews the Almeida’s commitment to ensuring affordable and accessible tickets for young people across the year. From The Treatment onwards, at least 500 £5 tickets per production will be available to audiences aged 25 and under, spread across a choice of four performances and audiences aged 26 – 30 will have access to a further 450 £15 tickets per production. See almeida.co.uk for further details of ticket schemes and concessions.
Rupert Goold, Almeida Artistic Director said: “Hamlet For Free celebrates the young people who belong at the heart of the Almeida’s community. We are delighted to be producing this entirely free festival around Robert’s production of Hamlet, harnessing the imagination and energy of the Almeida for what will be an electric four days.
We want to open up the doors of the theatre and welcome everyone aged 25 and under inside to experience the shows we create, the actors on stage, the creatives off stage, and to offer a platform for young people to explore their own talent, at no cost. It’s vital to remove any barriers to attending and making theatre and we are excited to welcome first-timers, students and young theatre-makers. No one should feel that theatre “isn’t for them” and Hamlet For Free is a fantastic opportunity for us to engage with audiences new to the Almeida and create a memorable and valuable experience.
Hamlet For Free renews our commitment to ensuring affordable accessible tickets for young people across the Almeida’s artistic programme. We hope to see young audiences return for The Treatment, Ink and Against later this year with the discounted ticket schemes we’re rolling out.”
The full schedule for Hamlet For Free will be announced soon, with tickets for events available to book online from Monday 13 March. Tickets for free performances of Hamlet are exclusively available to anyone aged 25 and under from 10 – 13 April and can be booked now online at almeida.co.uk. Tickets are limited to two per person.
The provision of free tickets for Hamlet for Free has been generously supported by Gregory Nasmyth and Samantha Rowe-Beddoe.
The Almeida is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
HAMLET
by William Shakespeare
directed by Robert Icke
Tickets for Hamlet from Monday 10 – Thursday 13 April are exclusively available to anyone aged 25 and under for free. Tickets are limited to two per person. They can be booked online at almeida.co.uk
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