Award-winning doc tells the story of two actors who decide to stage a full-on production of Hamlet within the violent and chaotic video game world of GTA Online during the pandemic
The inherently violent and chaotic game world was one of the largest obstacles when staging the play(Image credit: Grand Theft Hamlet / Rockstar Games)
Yes, you read that right, two out-of-work actors decided to stage a full-on production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet within the virtual video game world of Grand Theft Auto V. And now, an award-winning, feature-length documentary has been released to tell the incredible story of how this insurmountable task came into fruition.
The aptly named Grand Theft Hamlet follows protagonists Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, as they navigate the violent, virtual world of Grand Theft Auto against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns have left actors Sam and Mark out of work, so when they discover an amphitheatre within the game world, they find themselves contemplating the possibility of staging a full-on production of Hamlet, within the game world.
The feature-length documentary has won a plethora of awards and is screening in the UK from December 6 (Image credit: Grand Theft Hamlet / Rockstar Games)
Sam’s partner, Pinny Grylls, is an award-winning HOH/deaf director and editor, so with her expertise, they set to work trying to make their virtual reality idea into a reality, while filming the story in the process.
The film is said to ask the questions, “what is this space? How do we use it now and what else is possible inside it? Can we transport this ancient story inside a brand new one? And will it still make sense?” And indeed, the game world itself presents the most challenging obstacle. The world of Grand Theft Auto V is inherently violent and players are free to drive, fight, and kill as they please. It was never built to host a full-on stage show.
Grand Theft Auto V is the third-best-selling video game of all time, with over 200-million copies sold worldwide. It was released in 2013 and takes place in the fictional state of San Andreas, which is loosely based on California. The single-player game allows players to assume the role of one of three characters, but the online portion of the game allows players to create their own avatar and explore the game world as they please.
Grand Theft Hamlet will be showing in select cinemas across the UK from December 6.
Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...
