I set this production of Hamlet in an underground morgue, where the characters had been hiding from the outside world. The desks and other furniture were integrated into the walls, as well as keeping the audience in suspense about what lay behind the morgue doors until they were revealed. Sometimes, they opened to a window to the outside, stairs leading upward, a liquor cabinet, a sudden chapel, or even Ophelia's body.
This setting created a world where the line between life and death was dangerously thin. The space above the morgue walls served as a metaphorical realm, representing escape from reality or life after death. The feeling of no exit haunted the entire play, while music and songs attempted to heal their tormented souls.
Hamlet
Venue
Riksteatret
Year
2007
Manuscript:William Shakespeare
Direction: Yngve Sundvor
Lighting design: Torkel Skjærven
Photo: Erik Berg