Thog's Hamlet

A Hamlet like no other… Originally created in 1971 by Steven Bush and a young ensemble of performers, this radical reimagining of Hamlet featured 2 Hamlets, 2 Ophelias, and many Ghosts. Youth-driven, politically alert, and formally unconventional, it was captured on the fly by the “free camera” of Richard Leiterman under René Bonnière’s direction. The film stands as both a remarkable screen work and a rare record of a singular theatrical experiment. Thog’s Hamlet emerged at a moment of major political, social, and artistic change. In 1971, Canada was still in the afterglow of Expo 67 while also confronting Quebec sovereignty tensions, the War Measures Act, anti-Vietnam War protests, and the growing visibility of Black Power, Red Power, and feminism. Experimental theatre, new music, and radical new ways of thinking were reshaping cultural life, and Thog’s Hamlet grew from that atmosphere of creativity, experimentation, and transformation.