CWC :: Hamlet, National Theatre Live

>>> Jackie Demaline's review in the Enquirer.
>>> Josh Steele & Tim Swallow on Around Cincinnati
>>> Brush Up Your Shakespeare! ... Videos

Essential Event Info
W H A T :

CWC & The Carnegie Arts Center present
HAMLET, captured live in Digital High-Definition

Directed by Nicholas Hytner, UK, 2010, with 10-minute Behind-the-Scenes featurette with director/actor interviews, etc.

W H E N :

Tuesday, December 28, 7:00 pm

Saturday, January 8, 7:00 pm

Social hour, cash bar 6:00 pm

Theatre seating opens 6:30 pm

Program begins 7:00 pm

W H E R E :

The Carnegie Arts Center
1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 859-491-2030

Easy Access, Free Parking:
Printable PDF parking map
Printable PDF Bridges & Downtown Grid Detail
Interactive directional map

T I C K E T S :

Tickets are $16* in advance, $20* at the door.

Tickets for students and Enjoy the Arts members with valid ID are $16*, available only at the door.

Student group tickets are $12 for groups of 8 or more, including teacher.

* NOTE: Any CWC ticket sold by the CARNEGIE incurs a $1.00 facility charge in addition to the face value of the ticket -- this applies to tix purchased in advance by phone or in person, and at the door.

How to get Tickets

CWC WebTix:

By phone:

The Carnegie,
859-491-2030, Tue-Fri 12-5p

CWC WebTix, tollfree,
877-548-3237, Mon-Fri 9a-7p

In person at these area locations
(click each location for a map):

Clifton-Ludlow Avenue,
Sitwell's Coffee House
513 281 7487

Mt. Lookout Square,
Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters
513 871 8626

Northside-Hamilton Ave,
Shake It Music & Video
513 591 0123

Downtown Cincinnati,
Coffee Emporium
513 651 5483

Tickets will also be sold at the door, subject to availability.

Welcome to the Carnegie

The Otto M. Budig Theatre in the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center transports the audience to the ornate elegance of the early 1900s. Restored in 2006, improvements include comfortable seating with additional leg room, large movie screen and updated sound system. While the theatre holds 465 patrons, we have limited cinema capacity to 350 seats on the main floor and center balcony – to insure the best sight lines and audience experience.

COME EARLY to socialize and enjoy your favorite spirits or non-alcoholic beverage. The Carnegie opens one hour before evening screenings and the cash bar is in the adjacent Gallery/reception space. The Carnegie is located at 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 (corner of Scott and Robbins, between 10th and 11th Streets). FREE PARKING on-site and in nearby lots -- click here for the Parking Map.

>>> Rick Pender's preview in Cincinnati City Beat
>>> For Facebook Fans, Hamlet groupies and book lovers
>>> Cincinnati reacts to Hamlet & NT Live ... Videos

Hamlet

An action-packed drama as relevant and vivid now as when created, William Shakespeare's Hamlet is considered by many to be the greatest play ever written. The elements of this masterpiece are gripping and plentiful — revenge, adultery, death, deceit, suicide, madness and the supernatural.

At top level Hamlet is the tragic story of a young man plagued by conscience, indecision and misjudgment. In a broader context, it conveys Shakespeare's inner thoughts on morality and mortality, combined with a powerful portrayal of politics.

Accessible Affordable Unique Experience

Our presentation of NT Live is one of only four screenings within a 400 mile radius. You'll share a unique experience with the audience in London – the excitement and intimacy of live theatre, and at a very affordable price.

Read more...

The Performance in High Definition Digital

How it Works. The process is fascinating – through intense preparation, rehearsal and refinement, the directors, producers and camera crew capture the authenticity of the stage play in digital High Definition.

Read more...

There have been other attempts to create a theater/broadcast hybrid, often producing results that do not succeed as a film, or as a play. Director Nicholas Hytner and his team of NT Live creatives have conquered this problem through application of imagination, skill, a sizeable tech budget and a lot of hard work.

NT Live is not about turning a stage play into a movie. Rather, the intent is to faithfully capture the live performance wherein the actors play to the audience, not the cameras.

The use of high definition cameras and the scale of the big screen allow the aesthetic to remain theatrical and offer audiences a dynamic full stage picture. However, this is matched with the intimacy a camera can offer, taking you to the heart of the emotion and nuances of the actors' performances.

David Sabel, producer of NT Live, describes the process:

The approach to filming National Theatre Live broadcasts prioritizes the cinema audience for that night.

The audience in London pay a reduced ticket price and are aware that cameras will be present, so the theatre is transformed into something of a live studio.

The camera director is given complete flexibility in choosing camera positions, so that the performance can be captured from the best seats in the house.

The sophisticated setup varies according to production, involving tracking shots, closeups and, on occasion, a crane.

The number of cameras employed typically ranges from five to eight, which are cut live into a single feed.

There are some 360 degree camera shots - resulting in audience members being filmed.

Two full camera rehearsals take place before the broadcast, with time in between for the stage director and camera director to work together to adjust the script and discuss how best to capture the production.

Adjustments are made for lighting, sound and makeup, all with the goal of preserving the integrity of the original design and transposing the stage picture to work on camera as effectively as possible.

Hide detail

The Production & Cast

The play easily translates to a contemporary setting and director Nicholas Hytner's interpretation builds on this quality by creating a modern police state that echoes the political conditions of Shakespeare's time. Intrigue abounds in a milieu where secret police are everywhere and everyone spies on everyone else.

Read more...

A Rhapsody of Words

Hamlet gives us the most famous speech in English literature, "To be or not to be." Throughout, Shakespeare wields words as an artist would a brush or a surgeon a scalpel – deftly balancing language and moral concepts with the demands of plot. Many of the lines are now part of our common lexicon, to the point where we quote or paraphrase them in our regular conversations.

For example: "to thine own self be true; brevity is the soul of wit; the play's the thing; neither a borrower nor a lender be; get thee to a nunnery; the clothes make the man; method to his madness."
Click here for a list of quotes (pdf).

About The National Theatre

The Royal National Theatre in London, usually called the National Theatre or "The National" for short, is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain and from its founding in 1963 until 1976, was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo.

The current building contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977 and was formally inaugurated by the Queen. The theatre is permitted to call itself the Royal National Theatre, but this title is infrequently used, except by Yanks :)

It is located next to the Thames on the south side of the Waterloo Bridge in the South Bank area of central London and its exterior decks with panoramic view of the riverfront are popular gathering spots for social functions. The National Theatre complex has several cafes/bars, a restaurant, and a bookshop.

The largest stage is the Olivier Theatre, named after the theatre's first artistic director Sir Laurence Olivier, modeled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus. It has an open stage and a fan-shaped audience capacity of 1,160 people.

An ingenious 'drum revolve' (a five-story revolving stage section - like a turntable on steroids) extends 25 feet beneath the stage and has two rim revolves and two platforms, each of which can carry ten tons, facilitating dramatic and fluid scenery changes. Its design ensures that the audience's view is not blocked from any seat, and that the audience is fully visible to actors from the stage's centre.

The other stages are the Lyttelton Theatre which has a proscenium-arch design and can accommodate an audience of 890; and the Cottesloe Theatre, a smaller, adaptable studio space, holding up to 400.

The theatre presents a varied program, including Shakespeare and other international classic drama; and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire, thus further widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season.

Links of interest:
Royal National Theatre - Wiki
National Theatre - A very cool 3-D model
Olivier Theatre - A brief video introduction
National Theatre - main website

Hide detail

About NT Live

A principal element in the National Theatre's outreach effort, NT Live is a groundbreaking initiative to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. The first season of events, which began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phédre starring Helen Mirren, was seen by over 200,000 people on 320 screens in 22 countries.


Event Quick Links: \| Tickets \| The Film \| The Production \| Audience Reaction \| \| The Carnegie \| The National Theatre & NT Live \| Acclaim & Aviva \|

>>> Jackie Demaline's review in the Enquirer. >>> Josh Steele & Tim Swallow on Around Cincinnati >>> Brush Up Your Shakespeare! ... Videos Essential Event Info W H A T : CWC & The Carnegie Arts Center present HAMLET, captured live in Digital High-Definition Directed by Nicholas Hytner, UK, 2010, with 10-minute Behind-the-Scenes featurette with director/actor interviews, etc. W H E N : Tuesday, December 28, 7:00 pm Saturday, January 8, 7:00 pm Social hour, cash bar 6:00 pm Theatre seating opens 6:30 pm Program begins 7:00 pm W H E R E : The Carnegie Arts Center 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 859-491-2030 Easy Access, Free Parking: Printable PDF parking map Printable PDF Bridges & Downtown Grid Detail Interactive directional map T I C K E T S : Tickets are $16* in advance, $20* at the door. Tickets for students and Enjoy the Arts members with valid ID are $16, available only at the door. Student group tickets are $12 for groups of 8 or more, including teacher. NOTE: Any CWC ticket sold by the CARNEGIE incurs a $1.00 facility charge in addition to the face value of the ticket -- this applies to tix purchased in advance by phone or in person, and at the door. How to get Tickets CWC WebTix: By phone: The Carnegie, 859-491-2030, Tue-Fri 12-5p CWC WebTix, tollfree, 877-548-3237, Mon-Fri 9a-7p In person at these area locations (click each location for a map): Clifton-Ludlow Avenue, Sitwell's Coffee House 513 281 7487 Mt. Lookout Square, Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters 513 871 8626 Northside-Hamilton Ave, Shake It Music & Video 513 591 0123 Downtown Cincinnati, Coffee Emporium 513 651 5483 Tickets will also be sold at the door, subject to availability. Welcome to the Carnegie The Otto M. Budig Theatre in the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center transports the audience to the ornate elegance of the early 1900s. Restored in 2006, improvements include comfortable seating with additional leg room, large movie screen and updated sound system. While the theatre holds 465 patrons, we have limited cinema capacity to 350 seats on the main floor and center balcony – to insure the best sight lines and audience experience. COME EARLY to socialize and enjoy your favorite spirits or non-alcoholic beverage. The Carnegie opens one hour before evening screenings and the cash bar is in the adjacent Gallery/reception space. The Carnegie is located at 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011 (corner of Scott and Robbins, between 10th and 11th Streets). FREE PARKING on-site and in nearby lots -- click here for the Parking Map.		>>> Rick Pender's preview in Cincinnati City Beat >>> For Facebook Fans, Hamlet groupies and book lovers >>> Cincinnati reacts to Hamlet & NT Live ... Videos Hamlet An action-packed drama as relevant and vivid now as when created, William Shakespeare's Hamlet is considered by many to be the greatest play ever written. The elements of this masterpiece are gripping and plentiful — revenge, adultery, death, deceit, suicide, madness and the supernatural. At top level Hamlet is the tragic story of a young man plagued by conscience, indecision and misjudgment. In a broader context, it conveys Shakespeare's inner thoughts on morality and mortality, combined with a powerful portrayal of politics. Accessible Affordable Unique Experience Our presentation of NT Live is one of only four screenings within a 400 mile radius. You'll share a unique experience with the audience in London – the excitement and intimacy of live theatre, and at a very affordable price. Read more... Historically, the great strength, but also the great weakness, of live theatre is that it is live. If you want to see a performance, you have to be there when it happens. But the rules are changing: The capture of High Definition digital broadcasts makes theatre more accessible for 21st Century audiences – not just by crossing borders, but also in terms of affordability. NT Live audiences in the U.S. pay roughly $25 on average for outstanding performances; CWC tickets are $16 and $20. Factor in our student and group rates, or CWC's 20% advance purchase discount, and a top-tier performance is now available for well under $20. These price points compare favorably with the cost of attending our area's premier professional theatres, such as the Cincinnati Play House and Ensemble Theatre, where tickets can range from $34 to as high as $65 for the best seats. Hide detail The Performance in High Definition Digital How it Works. The process is fascinating – through intense preparation, rehearsal and refinement, the directors, producers and camera crew capture the authenticity of the stage play in digital High Definition. Read more... There have been other attempts to create a theater/broadcast hybrid, often producing results that do not succeed as a film, or as a play. Director Nicholas Hytner and his team of NT Live creatives have conquered this problem through application of imagination, skill, a sizeable tech budget and a lot of hard work. NT Live is not about turning a stage play into a movie. Rather, the intent is to faithfully capture the live performance wherein the actors play to the audience, not the cameras. The use of high definition cameras and the scale of the big screen allow the aesthetic to remain theatrical and offer audiences a dynamic full stage picture. However, this is matched with the intimacy a camera can offer, taking you to the heart of the emotion and nuances of the actors' performances. *David Sabel, producer of NT Live,* describes the process: The approach to filming National Theatre Live broadcasts prioritizes the cinema audience for that night. The audience in London pay a reduced ticket price and are aware that cameras will be present, so the theatre is transformed into something of a live studio. The camera director is given complete flexibility in choosing camera positions, so that the performance can be captured from the best seats in the house. The sophisticated setup varies according to production, involving tracking shots, closeups and, on occasion, a crane. The number of cameras employed typically ranges from five to eight, which are cut live into a single feed. There are some 360 degree camera shots - resulting in audience members being filmed. Two full camera rehearsals take place before the broadcast, with time in between for the stage director and camera director to work together to adjust the script and discuss how best to capture the production. Adjustments are made for lighting, sound and makeup, all with the goal of preserving the integrity of the original design and transposing the stage picture to work on camera as effectively as possible. Hide detail The Production & Cast The play easily translates to a contemporary setting and director Nicholas Hytner's interpretation builds on this quality by creating a modern police state that echoes the political conditions of Shakespeare's time. Intrigue abounds in a milieu where secret police are everywhere and everyone spies on everyone else. Read more... Director Nicholas Hytner Interview Hytner & Helen Mirren talk about NT Live and first season Cast** Hamlet Rory Kinnear Wiki Bio Interview, 2007 Claudius Patrick Malahide Wiki Bio official site Gertrude Clare Higgins Wiki Bio Interview Polonius David Calder Ophelia Ruth Negga Wiki Bio Interview, 2006 Laertes Alex Lanipekun Horatio Giles Terera Ghost/Player King James Laurenson Rosencrantz Ferdinand Kingsley Guildenstern Prasanna Puwanarajah Osric Nick Sampson Francisco Matthew Barker Player Queen Saskia Portway Priest Leo Staar Reynaldo Victor Power Marcellus Marcus Cunningham Fortinbras Jake Fairbrother Voltemand James Pearse Cornelia Ellie Turner Lucianus Michael Sheldon Messenger Zara Tempest-Walters Hide detail A Rhapsody of Words Hamlet gives us the most famous speech in English literature, "To be or not to be." Throughout, Shakespeare wields words as an artist would a brush or a surgeon a scalpel – deftly balancing language and moral concepts with the demands of plot. Many of the lines are now part of our common lexicon, to the point where we quote or paraphrase them in our regular conversations. For example: "to thine own self be true; brevity is the soul of wit; the play's the thing; neither a borrower nor a lender be; get thee to a nunnery; the clothes make the man; method to his madness." Click here for a list of quotes (pdf). About The National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, usually called the National Theatre or "The National" for short, is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company. Read more... Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain and from its founding in 1963 until 1976, was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. The current building contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977 and was formally inaugurated by the Queen. The theatre is permitted to call itself the Royal National Theatre, but this title is infrequently used, except by Yanks :) It is located next to the Thames on the south side of the Waterloo Bridge in the South Bank area of central London and its exterior decks with panoramic view of the riverfront are popular gathering spots for social functions. The National Theatre complex has several cafes/bars, a restaurant, and a bookshop. The largest stage is the Olivier Theatre, named after the theatre's first artistic director Sir Laurence Olivier, modeled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus. It has an open stage and a fan-shaped audience capacity of 1,160 people. An ingenious 'drum revolve' (a five-story revolving stage section - like a turntable on steroids) extends 25 feet beneath the stage and has two rim revolves and two platforms, each of which can carry ten tons, facilitating dramatic and fluid scenery changes. Its design ensures that the audience's view is not blocked from any seat, and that the audience is fully visible to actors from the stage's centre. The other stages are the Lyttelton Theatre which has a proscenium-arch design and can accommodate an audience of 890; and the Cottesloe Theatre, a smaller, adaptable studio space, holding up to 400. The theatre presents a varied program, including Shakespeare and other international classic drama; and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire, thus further widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season. Links of interest: Royal National Theatre - Wiki National Theatre - A very cool 3-D model Olivier Theatre - A brief video introduction National Theatre - main website Hide detail About NT Live A principal element in the National Theatre's outreach effort, *NT Live* is a groundbreaking initiative to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. The first season of events, which began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phédre starring Helen Mirren, was seen by over 200,000 people on 320 screens in 22 countries. Read more... "We couldn't have foreseen that the experimental National Theatre Live season would be such a hit with audiences around the world, who are hungry to see our work in their local cinema", says Nicholas Hytner, Director of the National Theatre. "We're delighted that we can confidently build on its success with a second season of broadcasts." This season's line up includes two thrilling collaborations with other British theatre companies, Complicite and the Donmar Warehouse. "A smashing success." LA Times "If you haven't experienced NT Live yet, I can't recommend it too highly." Daily Telegraph Hide detail For Facebook Fans, Hamlet Groupies & Those Who Read for Pleasure...

Local support for Hamlet comes from... The Acclaim Awards The Acclaim Awards recognize outstanding work in Cincinnati theater and support a variety of initiatives for area theater artists and educators including local Guest Equity Artist contracts, Theatre Educator Awards, Rising Stars and the Theatre Forward showcase at the Aronoff Center. The Acclaim Awards have celebrated excellence in professional, independent and university theatre in Greater Cincinnati theater since 2006. More than 30 Cincinnati-area theater experts – critics, producers, practitioners and educators – nominate and select award recipients. The sixth Acclaim Awards will be held Monday, May 23, 2011 at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater. This season the Acclaims include the Cincinnati Theater Awards (CTAs) which invite the public to vote for favorite performers and productions by community theaters and university theater programs. Learn more: cinstages.com.		Global support for NT Live comes from... Aviva Aviva is the official sponsor of National Theatre Live. The world's sixth-largest insurance group with 53 million customers in 28 countries, London-based Aviva puts the people it serves ahead of selling policies and its 46,000 employees are dedicated to providing their customers with excellent service and peace of mind. Supporting the Oxfam Alliance and global conservation efforts, Aviva is active in community-based initiatives and charitable causes around the globe, stressing human rights and diversity, particularly through its "Street-to-School" programs in the U.K., Canada, China and India. In the U.S., Aviva partners with the Mayo Clinic in the Wellness for Life program. Learn more about the ways Aviva connects with its customers and the community at the Big Picture, and for insight into insurance, retirement, investments and health programs visit the U.S. site AvivaUSA.com, and the London HQ site Aviva.com.