Hamlet (2013)
The Wooster Group's radical reimagining of Shakespeare's tragedy, channeling the ghost of Richard Burton's legendary 1964 Broadway performance.
Hamlet - Movie Information
- Original Title: Hamlet
- Release Year: 2013
- Directed by: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Drama
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: English
- Production Companies: The Wooster Group
- Production Countries: United States of America
Hamlet - Plot
In The Wooster Group's HAMLET, Shakespeare's classic tragedy is re-imagined by mixing and repurposing Richard Burton's 1964 Broadway production, directed by John Gielgud. The Burton production was recorded in live performance from 17 camera angles and edited into a film that was shown as a special event for only two days in nearly 1,000 movie houses across the U.S. The idea of bringing a live theater experience to thousands of simultaneous viewers in different cities was trumpeted as a new form called "Theatrofilm," made possible through "the miracle of Electronovision." The Wooster Group attempts to reverse the process, reconstructing a hypothetical theater piece from the fragmentary evidence of the edited film. We channel the ghost of the legendary 1964 performance, descending into a kind of madness, intentionally replacing our own spirit with the spirit of another.
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Hamlet - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Elizabeth LeCompte
Main Cast
- Scott Shepherd
- Ari Fliakos
- Kate Valk
- Koosil-ja
- Alessandro Magania
- Greg Mehrten
- Daniel Pettrow
- Casey Spooner
Hamlet - FAQs
What is The Wooster Group's Hamlet about?
The Wooster Group's Hamlet is a daring experimental reimagining of Shakespeare's classic tragedy. Director Elizabeth LeCompte and her ensemble reconstruct a hypothetical stage performance by layering their own work over Richard Burton's celebrated 1964 Broadway production, deliberately channeling its ghost while surrendering their own artistic identities to it.
How does this Hamlet use the 1964 Burton production?
The Wooster Group works directly with the filmed record of Richard Burton's 1964 Broadway Hamlet, directed by John Gielgud. That production was captured from 17 camera angles and briefly screened in nearly 1,000 cinemas as "Theatrofilm." The company reverses that process, reconstructing a live theater piece from the edited film's fragmentary evidence.
Who directed the 2013 Wooster Group Hamlet?
Elizabeth LeCompte directed this production for The Wooster Group. LeCompte is the longtime artistic director of the company and is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential figures in American experimental theater, known for her radical deconstructions of classic texts and performance traditions.
Who are the main actors in Hamlet (2013)?
Scott Shepherd leads the cast as Hamlet, joined by Ari Fliakos, Kate Valk, Koosil-ja, Alessandro Magania, Greg Mehrten, Daniel Pettrow, and Casey Spooner. Several performers take on multiple roles — for instance, Kate Valk plays both Gertrude and Ophelia, while Casey Spooner portrays Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the Player King.
What is "Theatrofilm" and why does it matter here?
"Theatrofilm" was a short-lived 1960s format that used multi-camera recording to bring live Broadway performances to cinema audiences simultaneously across the country. Burton's Hamlet was its most famous experiment. The Wooster Group's production interrogates that format by attempting to reverse-engineer a live theatrical event from the resulting film.
Is the 2013 Hamlet based on a true story?
It's rooted in real theatrical history. While Shakespeare's Hamlet is fiction, The Wooster Group's version is built around the documented 1964 Broadway production starring Richard Burton and directed by John Gielgud — a landmark event in American theater history. The film explores what it means to inhabit and reconstruct that actual historical performance.
What genre is the 2013 Wooster Group Hamlet?
It's classified as Drama, but that label barely scratches the surface. This is experimental performance art as much as it is theater or cinema — a meta-theatrical meditation on memory, imitation, and the nature of performance itself. Fans of avant-garde theater, film theory, and Shakespeare adaptation will find it especially rewarding.
What films are similar to Hamlet (2013)?
If this production's blend of literary adaptation and layered storytelling appeals to you, consider exploring Hamnet (2025) and May December (2023), both of which engage with performance, identity, and the weight of inherited narratives. Harvest (2025) and Here (2024) also offer thoughtful, unconventional dramatic experiences worth seeking out.
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