WITTENBERG

Hamlet is an iconic Shakespeare character, perhaps his most famous. However, in their first production of 2014 Brevity Theatre Co aim to serve Hamlet to their audience in a completely unexpected setting with Wittenberg.

“We meet a young man who is the star tennis pupil at a foreign university who is trying to escape the expectations of being King one day. It just so happens that his two lecturers are Martin Luther and Faustus,” explains Hamlet actor and producer Alexander Butt.

Not an easy thing to be juggling the main role and production of an iconic play, though Butt has found a way through.

“This has been a wonderful and challenging learning experience. I have found the trick to juggling producing and acting is to trust that everyone is capable of performing their roles and leaving them alone to do their best,” Butt adds.

The result that he is really trying to achieve from this production is not to have everyone in agreement, quite the contrary; he would like it to be an open discussion of different opinions.

“The play is very funny, but it’s also thought-provoking. I hope that it will divide the audience for some heated discussions at The Old Fitzroy bar after the show,” Butt says. (AH)

Jan 7-25, Old Fitz, 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo, $21-39, sitco.net.au

BY ANDREW HODGSON