HAMLET: THE VIKING PRINCE OF DENMARK Roams the NYC Parks in June

Celebrated indie theatre company, Black Henna Productions returns after a hiatus, in association with Theatre Beyond Broadway, with a re-envisioned 90-minute Hamlet. Shakespeare's Hamlet (adaptation and direction under Kelly Monroe Johnston) was based on the Scandinavian legend of Prince Amleth, but set in the mid-1500s. Black Henna Productions and Theatre Beyond Broadway are bringing the Melancholy Dane back to his roots by setting their adaptation in the 10th century royal longhouse of the ruling Viking clan of Denmark.

In 925 AD, the King of Denmark died. Accompanied by his best friend, the Prince returns home from University in Wittenburg to attend the funeral and thus begins his quest to prove that the death was anything but natural. Suspecting his uncle of usurping the throne by force, and his mother of being complicit in the affair, the young prince sets loose a series of events that can only culminate in one way - bloodshed, vengeance, and slaughter. This is Hamlet, Viking Prince of Denmark.

The cast includes: Stephan Goldbach (The Man in the High Castle, American Horror Story), Michael Reep (The Crucible, MacBett), Thomas Vazquez (The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet), Ian McDonald (The Eternal Space, Hoi Polloi, Torch Song Trilogy), Anaseini Katoa (A Muslim in the Midst), Bridget Cosgrove (Tis Pity She's..., Twelfth Night), Sabrina Fosse (The Wizard of Oz), Megan Abell (The White House: Inside Story on PBS), Melissa Meli (Two Gentlemen of Verona, Othello), Caroline McFee (Encore! National Tour, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet), Hannah Viederman (The Sinless), Yianni Papadimos (A Midsummer Night's Dream with Barnstormers, Animal Farm at Joe's Pub), and Emé Bentancur (Member of The People's Improv Theatre - the PIT).

Black Henna Productions was founded in September 2003 when a handful of innovative artists decided to embark on an epic journey. What came from this venture became Black Henna Productions, an independent company run entirely by theatrical artists, with the commitment to bring new, exciting, and challenging theatre to the world. Much like Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, every member of the company collaborates on every performance, on tasks ranging from writing, acting, directing and designing. Black Henna Productions' free Shakespeare in the Parks tour performs 90-minute versions of the Bard's plays using the parks' landscape as its setting. The focus is accessibility to Shakespeare to all. Past performances include Much Ado About Nothing andTwelfth Night in Central Park, Forest Park (Queens), McCarren Park (Brooklyn), Van Cortlandt Park (The Bronx) and the historic Snug Harbor Cultural Central (Staten Island).

Theatre Beyond Broadway ("TBB") is a platform that fosters and promotes the independent artist. TBB currently has many branches in which it enriches its supporters including: a community of over 900 indie artists; a podcast featuring interviews with theatre professionals including Broadway producers, executive directors, career coaches, playwrights, and more; a resource which includes reviews and highlights of artists work; productions of original works; and programs educating students on making better choices in campus life through theatre and creating leadership qualities (Beyond Broadway, After School Theater Empowerment Program ("A STEP"). Theatre Beyond Broadway is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Theatre Beyond Broadway must be made payable to "Fractured Atlas" only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Secure donations may be made online through Fractured Atlas.

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