Art Alert: Hamlet in contemporary dance at Hanager theatre

Ahram Online , Tuesday 15 Mar 2016

The performance recently won a theater grant from Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Hamlet
Rehearsal of Hamlet, director Monadel Antar (Photo: courtesy of Monadel Antar)

Directed and choreographed by Monadel Antar, Hamlet adapted the iconic Shakespearean play to a contemporary dance performance. It will be performed in Hanager Theater for two days on 23 and 24 March.

The performance won a theater grant from Bibliotheca Alexandrina and was staged for the first time on 28 and 29 January 2016.

Antar is mainly known for his movement-based performance pieces and choreography (Mawlana, The Blue Elephant) though Hamlet marks his first theatrical production.

In his ambitious production, Antar brings to the table some of the novel ideas, including some interesting techniques to be used in the set alongside his long-time collaborator and scenographer Amr al Ashraf.

"I have an obsession with Muslim and African culture… so, I always think of global or international works from that perspective,” Antar told Ahram Online in an interview published in January this year, days before the performance's premiere.

“I think, ‘What if Hamlet was Egyptian?’… so the whole idea, to me, is how I could bring it closer and have it relate to [Egyptian] audiences," he continued.

Hamlet is probably the most performed Shakespearean play in Egyptian theater history, however it was rarely explored in dance format.

Programme: 

The performance will run on 23 March at 8pm and on 24 March at 6pm
Hanager Theatre, Cairo Opera House grounds, Zamalek, Cairo

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