COUNTY DURHAM'S ENSEMBLE '84 PRESENTS SHAKESPEARE'S HAMLET IN A RARELY PERFORMED FIRST QUARTO VERSION

A County Durham theatre company brings an urgent new staging of Shakespeare's tragedy, providing a fresh perspective on the familiar story.

Ensemble '84's upcoming production brings Shakespeare's First Quarto - The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet to Horden, County Durham. Using the rarely performed First Quarto text of Hamlet, this striking new staging brings a shorter, urgent version of Shakespeare's tragedy.

A kingdom is unsettled. The King of Denmark is dead, his brother now wears the crown, and Prince Hamlet is left grieving - and suspicious. When the ghost of his father appears with a terrible revelation, Hamlet is drawn into a dangerous quest for truth and revenge. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, the royal court becomes a place of spies, deception and growing madness. Hamlet must decide how to act in a world that no longer feels certain.

The First Quarto text of Hamlet drives the story forward with pace, punch and clarity. Told with striking differences in structure, dialogue and character names, the story unfolds with compelling theatrical energy, bringing the drama, poetry and humanity of this great play vividly to life.

Mark Dornford-May, Director and Artistic Director of Ensemble '84, said:
"Hamlet remains one of the most powerful and enduring plays ever written. The First Quarto version gives us a fascinating and highly theatrical way into the story; it moves with urgency and clarity, allowing the drama to unfold with remarkable pace. For a company like Ensemble '84, rooted in storytelling and performance, it offers a thrilling opportunity to rediscover this extraordinary play."

For Ensemble '84, the production continues the company's commitment to creating bold theatre rooted in the North East while engaging with stories that resonate far beyond the region.

Ensemble '84 is part of Into the Light - County Durham's place-based cultural partnership, brought together to drive regeneration and opportunities for growth in the county's creative sector.

Now in its third year, the success of projects like Ensemble '84 highlight the importance of creating the right infrastructure to harness talent and potential within traditionally underserved communities.

Julia Handelman-Smith, Director of Into the Light, said: "If the superb performances of Mother Courage and Pits, People and Players are anything to go by, then we are in for a real treat with Ensemble '84's latest production of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

"At Into the Light, we are thrilled to be part of Ensemble '84's founding story. The company has brought world-class theatre training to Horden, created jobs, and incredible opportunities that are deeply connected to the place they're part of.

"We're really looking forward to seeing the show for ourselves, and can't wait for audiences across the region to experience something truly special on their doorstep."

Ensemble 84
The Playhouse, Horden, Peterlee, SR8 4NQ
Press contact - nicola@ensemble84.com
ticket sales - ensemble84.com

Ensemble '84 was founded in 2024 with a clear idea. Open access to theatre. Root it in place. Build it with people who live there. In a village shaped by the rise and fall of coal, we offer paid training and a real chance to perform.

Our early work has already marked us out as one of the most important new theatre projects in the North East of England. Our first production, Mother Courage and Her Children, adapted by Lee Hall, brought together local performers and artists from Isango Ensemble who are usually based in South Africa. The result was urgent, musical, and direct. It drew strong reviews and full houses, and went on to win three honours at the North East Culture Awards in November 2025. A later run at Live Theatre in Newcastle confirmed that this was not a one-off moment, but the start of something with reach.

The follow-up, Pits, People and Players, turned inward. Built from local voices, it traced Horden's history through coal and community. It showed us growing in confidence. More than that, it showed how culture can emerge from within a place, and doesn't have to be brought in from outside.

At the centre of this work is Mark Dornford-May. Born in Yorkshire and the grandson of a miner, he has a connection to Horden that is not abstract. His career spans decades of work in the UK and South Africa, often focused on ensemble practice and music-led storytelling. As the founder of Isango Ensemble in Cape Town, he developed a model of theatre rooted in community and collaboration. His film U-Carmen eKhayelitsha won the Golden Bear, providing international recognition. Yet the work in Horden feels less like a new departure and more like a continuation of a long-held belief. That world-class theatre can be made anywhere.

There is also a wider cultural context. Too often, high-quality theatre is tied to major cities. Audiences travel to it. Talent leaves to find it. Ensemble '84 challenges that pattern. It places serious work in a place often described as "left behind" and asks audiences, critics, and the industry to look again.

This release was published on openPR.