About The Event
What Happens When Hamlet Becomes a Daughter?
Adishakti's A Woman Or Not To Be is a contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet, exploring grief, revenge, gender, privilege, and emotional freedom.
Princess Hamlet is a 20-year-old college student who is fierce, restless, and full of youthful angst. A Manga and Anime enthusiast and a dedicated martial arts practitioner, she returns home to discover that her mother, the reigning Queen, has been murdered and her aunt has married her father.
When her mother's ghost appears, she urges Princess Hamlet not to seek revenge, but to complete her education and protect herself from future danger. For the grieving and enraged young woman, this plea for restraint becomes unbearable.
If revenge is a form of closure for trauma, is that closure available to every gender, or only to men? Through Princess Hamlet's journey, the production questions the patriarchal gaze of Shakespeare's original and explores male privilege, toxic masculinity, grief, revenge, and the limits of emotional freedom afforded to women.
Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research is a contemporary theatre research and repertory company located near Pondicherry, India. For over 40 years, Adishakti has explored and created theatre performances while conducting extensive performance research to develop its distinctive theatrical language.
