The unique theater festival Midsummer Scene, which takes place at the fort Lovrjenac, will in 2016 show the famous Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, directed by Helen Tennison.
The festival was initiated in 2014 when it marked the 450th anniversary of the author’s birth while the 3rd edition again tackles Shakespeare, this time marking the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death.
Today, the festival was introduced via the press conference held in Sponza Palace, together with a ‘sneak peek’ into the performance and the premiere which will be held on 21st of June.
Major role in this year’s festival carries actress Helen Millar who last year embodied Olivia in the Twelfth Night and this year will play Hamlet. By choosing a female Hamlet the festival touches, in an opposite way, on classical English theatrical tradition according to which all roles had to be played by men. Also, the attention is been drawn to the great disproportional value between the great classics of female and male roles.
In Helen Tennison’s vision, the female Hamlet begins living like a man to be able to inherit the crown. In this way, all the relationships between the characters are placed in a new context and the questions raised by this drama are shown in a different light. The so-called women’s tradition of playing Hamlet is present in England for many years now. The french diva Sarah Bernhardt played Hamlet in France and England at the end of the 19th century and a long line of actresses to have accepted these roles is joined by Frances de la Tour and Maxine Peake.
This year’s Hamlet on Lovrjenac also examines life through a different, female, prism and is being prepared especially for the ambient of the fort. Yet, the most important fact is that for the first time in Croatia, Hamlet is going to be played by a woman.
In addition, the festival continues its successful cooperation with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra which will give a concert under the stars at the Fort Lovrjenac on June 28th. The festival begins also a new collaboration with the „Home of Marin Držić“ through a special performance by actors of the Midsummer Scene Festival.
Midsummer Scene already has a tendency to become traditional, and it is a platform for similar future international artistic concepts and cooperations. Midsummer Scene festival is a project of the City of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board while the production and organization are realized by the exceptional cooperation of Brilliant Events Dubrovnik and Honey -Tongued Theatre Productions from London.
