Hamlet in Nepali and English on 12&13 Oct 2015 were two events to be written in the history of the arts scene of Nepal and that of the UNESCO world heritage site, Bhakatpur Durbar Square -. English Hamlet was performed by the UK’s Globe to Globe Theatre and Nepali Hamlet by the local Theatre Village Company, directed by a UK director- Gregory Thompson.
The Nepali Hamlet had very little time for preparation but the output was outstanding. The script was translated but the setting was Nepali Royal era, which made it more interesting and grabbed the attention of the audience. The open space was packed with audience but it was so peaceful the it echoed with every word the artists were delivering.
People were waiting for the Globe Hamlet for many months. Finally when it happened people were astounded. Both the shows were planned as part of the yearlong celebration of 200 years of the bilateral relation between Britain and Nepal. Around 3000 audience members attended both the shows and they saw it as an opportunity of a lifetime to see Shakespeare performed in Nepal. This was the first time that Shakespeare had ever been featured even by a local theatre group and it was also the first time for any international theatre group to perform in Nepal. People were excited and came in one and a half hours early to reserve a good seat. Globe to Globe theatre expressed that it was the most extraordinary venue out the 135 places they have performed in to date. The shows made a powerful impression on the audiences and further strengthened British Council’s position as an organization which creates exciting opportunities and links between the two countries.