Help Us Bring a Female Hamlet to the Big Screen!

We're a cohort of young, energetic actors and filmmakers with a passion for punchy literature and imaginative storytelling. A Tragedy of Hamlet, our take on Shakespeare's most famous play, retells the tale of the iconic Danish prince with a topsy-turvy, female-led varnish, keeping almost all of the original dialogue intact. A vengeful ghost stalks his gothic castle's ramparts. The deranged daughter of a dead king schemes to slay her uncle. A foreign-born student, stranger to the royal court, tries to keep her best friend sane. A young, fragile nobleman weaves extravagant garlands of flowers. When Ofelia's a man and Hamlet's a woman, what could possibly go wrong?

Filmmaking is expensive. Even the most famous low-budget indie film out there, The Blair Witch Project, took over $35,000 to shoot -- according to two separate inflation calculators, that's around $66,000 today. Even the most careful planner can't foresee every eventuality and expense, and a play like Hamlet has a lot of complications. We're specifically requesting more money for travel expenses and additional props -- things such as cheap hotels, affordable rental cars, plane flights, swords, chalices, and skulls aren't easy to come by in Northern England. A Tragedy of Hamlet will be a much, much better film with your support, and anyone who donates will be mentioned, if they would like, with special gratitude in our end credits.

"This take on Hamlet would have meant the world to my younger self. When I first read the play at 17, I became obsessed with it ... Over the course of a month, I watched every film version of the play I could get my hands on, some of which I enjoyed, but none of which I could truly see myself in. I'm honored to be a part of bringing this film to life for future generations." - Julian Quigg, Assistant Director

"I am so grateful to be part of something that can open each of our worldviews and tell such a classic in an important way in such a pivotal time." - Luke Sage, Guildenstern

"These artists are preparing for the journey of a lifetime! Please lend a hand in supporting our financial goals to make this project as amazing as it can be." - Sunny Feldman, Rosencrantz

"Shakespeare doesn't write in order to tell us that tragedy exists; he knows we all know tragedy exists. He writes to show how tragedy affects us. Hamlet tries to be loving; he tries to be vicious; both ways, he fails to survive. His death affirms our own life; there's a transcendent beauty in the bleakness of his fall. There will always be violence and loss; there will always be more than you can handle; Hamlet tells us this. But Hamlet also tells us that if you can love one person, if you can care for even one person, you are not lost. Hamlet is redeemed by his love for Horatio, and we, in turn, are redeemed by our compassion for him. No story is more important to me than this one." - [Anonymous], Hamlet