Casting announced for "Hamlet" directed by Trevor Nunn, at Old Vic from 17 April 2004

Casting announced for "Hamlet" directed by Trevor Nunn, at Old Vic from 17 April 2004

Casting has been confirmed for William Shakespeare's Hamlet , directed by Trevor Nunn, which opens at the Old Vic Theatre on 27 April 2004, following previews from 17 April, and taking bookings to 31 July 2004

The cast includes: Samantha Whittaker (Ophelia), Ben Wishaw (Hamlet), Imogen Stubbs (Gertrude), Lewis Barfoot, Edward Hughes (Guildernstern), Nick Jones (Polonius), Rory Kinnear (Laertes), Jack Laskey, Sid Livingstone (Voltimand), Tom Mannion (Claudius and The Ghost of the King), Tom Mison (Fortinbras), Samuel Roukin (Osric), James Simmons (Marcellus), Kevin Wathen (Rosencrantz), Al Weaver (Reynaldo & Hamlet at selected performances each week)

It is designed by John Gunter, with costumes by Mark Bouman, lighting by David Hersey. The production will have original music composed by Steve Edif. The play is produced by Old Vic Productions plc, Ron Kastner and Background.

This is Trevor Nunn's first production of "Hamlet" since his Royal Shakespeare Company production of 1970, which starred Alan Howard in the title role and Helen Mirren as 'Ophelia'. "Hamlet" also marked his debut as a director some time before, when aged 17 he created the Ipswich Youth Drama Group in his home town and staged an amateur production.

This new production intends to take a fresh look at the play through contemporary eyes. Nunn has gathered an ensemble of the best of the country's young acting talent in order to do so; he says, "Something extraordinary happens when the characters who are students in Shakespeare's story are being played by people of student age".