Hundreds of Shakespearean lovers turned out at the Al Rayyan Theatre in Souq Waqif to watch the Globe Theatre artists, performing one of the everlasting classics of the Bard of Avon, Hamlet on Wednesday night.
The spectators were transported to the Elizabethan era with the cast weaving a mesmerising spell with their spectacular performance by reliving the eternal and intriguing classic as well as presenting it with great mannerisms and practices of the old era.
The screening of the classic tragedy was organised under the patronage of HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari, and presented by the British Council and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, a London-based production dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s works.
The screening was attended by al-Kuwari along with British ambassador Ajay Sharma, several officials from the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage as well as a number of dignitaries. The audience also comprised a large gathering from various nationalities and walks of life.
Ambassador Sharma said: “It is a great occasion to showcase a UK treasure as well as an international treasure, Shakespeare, to Doha. We are trying through the British Council to present many more such cultural events in the country in the coming years.”
The play was presented by a company of 12 stage actors who are on a two-year world tour to mark the 400th death anniversary of Shakespeare to be commemorated in April this year.
“We started our world journey with the theme, ‘ Hamlet: Globe to Globe’ in April 2014, the 450th birth anniversary of Shakespeare. Qatar is our 160th country. We have presented Hamlet in all the countries and aim to complete 197 countries before we reach England in April this year,” explained Mathew Romain, one of the team members of the Globe Theatre troupe.
“The tour will wrap up on April 23 in London this year. There are 16 members in the troupe. While 12 perform, four function as stage managers during a show. All of us perform but we take turns,” he continued.
“Our idea is to promote an open and joyous conversation across languages and borders through the medium of Shakespeare and the theatre. We have travelled all the continents and almost all the countries. We have chosen Hamlet as the play to be promoted through this journey as it is one of the most intriguing classical tragedies of Shakespeare,” Romain added.
‘Hamlet:Globe to Globe’ is directed by Dominic Dromgoole and Bill Buckhurst.