Hamletscenen

Denmark’s iconic Shakespeare Theatre.

Photograph: HamletScenen FB Page

Text: Mariano Anthony Davies

HamletScenen at Hamlet’s Castle (Kronborg) has become Denmark’s international Shakespeare theatre. The theatre is an artistic company with a professional board and management, established in 2008 and subsidised by the Danish Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Elsinore.

HamletScenen’s theatrical work consists of two principal areas. One is rooted in its classical heritage, with Shakespeare’s original works forming the basis for the theatre’s two annual summer activities: Shakespeare Puppetry in July and the Elsinore Shakespeare Festival in August. The other area deploys Shakespeare’s universal themes in all-year-round activity to create contemporary performances based on the unique cultural Hamlet and Shakespeare heritage.

The annual Elsinore Shakespeare Festival at Hamlet’s Castle attracts attention from all over the world because of its special venue and brand as the oldest and most prestigious Shakespeare tradition outside the UK, with roots stretching back to 1816. There is also an authentic link to William Shakespeare himself, as several of his actors from Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed at Kronborg Castle in 1586.

Today, HamletScenen comprises a well-established artistic company and a world-renowned international Shakespearean theatre with a local, national, and international reputation. This position is constantly enhanced by the theatre’s many associates from Denmark and abroad and by its central role among the world’s most important Shakespeare theatres and networks.

These include Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the European Shakespeare Festival Network, the British Embassy, the British Chamber of Commerce, Visit Denmark and others.

Elsinore's 600th anniversary in 2026

In celebration of Elsinore's 600th anniversary as a market town in 2026, the theatre is fully engaged in unfolding a vision for the theatre of the future, with the ambition to combine world heritage, tradition and innovation. Through this, it aims to cement its position as one of the world's leading Shakespeare theatre destinations and create world-class theatre experiences that can attract a global audience and significantly increase the theatre's revenues.

A harmonious union of tradition and technology, Elsinore Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, provides the majestic setting for HamletScenen. Here, history and innovation merge to create unique theatre experiences. The familiar, analogue elements such as live actors, musicians and singers will continue to be at the heart of the performances. These artists will blend with a groundbreaking visual projection technology universe, where tradition meets future technology with the help of 3d mapping and advanced projections. The scenery will be able to transform in real-time, creating dynamic and immersive environments that support the action and the characters' emotions. The projections can adapt to the actors' movements and lines, creating an interactive and engaging experience.

"With this visionary approach, HamletScenen will not only preserve the world's oldest Shakespeare theatre tradition but also transform it into a global attraction that draws audiences from around the world and creates a much larger economic foundation for the future."

Hamlet’s intangible world heritage

The theatre's new strategy unfolds the essence of Hamlet's intangible world heritage, which revolves around humanity's inherent ability to reflect on its own existence in the world and the individual's power to transform themselves. With HamletScenen's new ambitious steps into the technological world, the theatre takes its own medicine and recreates its own existence in the world, as a tribute to Hamlet's universal message: We know what we are, but not what we may become.

With this visionary approach, HamletScenen will not only preserve the world's oldest Shakespeare theatre tradition but also transform it into a global attraction that draws audiences from around the world and creates a much larger economic foundation for the future. World heritage, tradition and innovation will become the core elements of a new business strategy that will ensure HamletScenen's success and sustainability in the future. HamletScenen at Elsinore Castle – where the grandeur of the past meets the possibilities of the future.

Hamlet 2026

HamletScenen’s anniversary production of Hamlet is planned to premiere at the beginning of August 2026 and run for four weeks. The international production will be performed in collaboration with world-class artists and actors and will form the precedent for HamletScenen’s continuing international Shakespeare productions at Elsinore Castle.

As HamletScenen becomes a regular international producing theatre, possibilities of live transmissions and digitalisation of the production are being pursued. HamletScenen is currently working with the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) on the possibility of a European broadcasting of the 2026 anniversary production. Furthermore, the theatre is in dialogue with St. James Theatre in London about their digitalisation platform.

HamletScenen will use the 2026 anniversary to kick start a range of forward-looking international activities, such as International Shakespeare productions and transmissions from Hamlet’s Castle in Elsinore.