What happens in the play: When the King of Denmark dies suddenly, his brother Claudius usurps the throne—taking not only power, but also the dead king’s wife, Gertrude. The queen and Hamlet’s mother rushes into a hasty, almost unholy marriage, leaving her son in mourning and confusion. The fragile balance is shattered when the ghost of the king appears: he did not die naturally, he reveals—he was murdered. The murderer was his own brother, who acted treacherously with the aim of seizing the throne. Hamlet swears revenge—not even his love for the tender Ophelia will distract him from his goal. To confirm Claudius’ guilt, he invites a troupe of traveling actors to perform a play depicting his father’s murder. Claudius’ reaction to what is happening will betray him, and Hamlet’s revenge will be terrible, but also self-destructive.
The play “Alone with Hamlet” follows the young prince’s attempt to bridge the gap between Thought and Action. Realizing that the value system he believed in and the false happiness he enjoyed are dead, Hamlet struggles to maintain his dignity and ideals in a society that is ideologically collapsing. It is paradoxical—or even prophetic—how much this society resembles our own, four centuries later. The question is no longer “to be or not to be,” but “how to live”: Is it better to live passively or to die actively? This question runs through the performance and becomes its backbone.
Emilios Cheilakis becomes Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Laertes, Horatio, the Ghost of the King – keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Alongside him, Dimitris Kamarotos creates a soundscape on stage that functions as an inner voice, an echo of the tragic hero. With sets and costumes by Alexia Theodoraki, movement by Faidra Daioğlu, and lighting by Nikos Vlasopoulos, “Alone with Hamlet” is a performance that returns to the absolute basics of theatrical action — voice, body, music, and light.
Pre-sale
Kavala: Kavala Municipality Visitor Information Center (formerly EOT) Central Square, tel: 2510-620566, daily from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00, while on the day of the performance, advance sales will take place at the ticket office of the Ancient Theater of Philippi from 19:00 in the evening.
Krinides: Café “Proskino,” Ancient Theater of Philippi, tel. 2510516090
*No admission to the theater after the performance has begun.
*No admission to the theater after the start of the performance. For another year, there will be a bus service provided by KTEL Kavala to and from the ancient theater of Philippi for theatergoers, upon presentation of a ticket for the respective theatrical performance and a special fare of €4.00.
Departure from Kavala Bus Station at 6:45 p.m. and return after the end of the performance.
Note: Holders of nominal invitations to the 68th Philippi Festival are requested to declare their intention to use them by Monday, August 11, while identity checks will be carried out at the theater entrance on the day of the performance.
For further information, please call the Kavala Municipal Regional Theater at 2510. 220876 (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.).
