Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit – Shakespeare in VR

Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit brings Shakespeare’s most iconic play to vivid life, harnessing the power of VR to plunge the viewer into Hamlet’s harrowing journey. This 60-minute modern adaptation features stars of Broadway, film and television and an award-winning creative team.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company & Google Present:
Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit

Adapted & Directed by Steven Maler
Produced by Graham Sack & Quentin Little
Production & Cinematography by Sensorium
Costume & Production Design by Clint Ramos
Music & Sound Design by Bruce Odland
Technical Direction by Matthew Niederhauser & John Fitzgerald
Post Production Sound by SilVR
Visual Effects by The Molecule

Starring
Jack Cutmore-Scott as Hamlet
Faran Tahir as Claudius
Brooke Adams as Queen Gertrude
Jacob Fishel as Horatio
Mark Torres as Polonius
Flora Diaz as Ophelia
Desean Kevin Terry as Laertes
Lee Wilkof as the Gravedigger
Scott Barrow as Player King/Gravedigger
Alex Schneps as Second Gravedigger

with
Jay O. Sanders as the Ghost

and
Anthony Rapp as Lucianus

Shakespeare’s most iconic play meets the cutting edge of immersive storytelling. Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit is a cinematic 360 experience that explores new dimensions of the medium by casting the viewer as the Ghost of Hamlet’s dead father, giving the viewer a sense of agency and urgency as an omniscient observer, guide and participant. The experience is set in a dilapidated, once-glorious hall – the room where the fateful duel took place leaving such waste and carnage. Paint peels off the walls, water drips from the ceiling, ruined furniture gathers dust. Shards of Hamlet’s memories – the faded detritus of his life – are spread throughout the room. On one end, a stage; in one area, a large clawfoot tub; and in another, a mound of earth with a few tombstones and a fresh rough-hewn grave. The design embraces the interiority of the play and immerses the characters (and the viewer) in Hamlet’s chaotic, turbulent mindscape. This dream world is both hyper-real and tangible as well as surreal and expressionistic. It’s a rich and detailed environment that invites continual exploration and discovery.

The 360 video is best viewed using a VR headset, such as the Google Pixel phone with Google Cardboard or Daydream View. For further information about the experience and behind the scenes content, visit www.wgbh.org/hamlet360.