Hamlet: Prince of Denmark

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark will perform at the 14Y Blackbox Theater on August 29th at 2:30pm, August 29th at 7:30pm, August 30th at 2:30pm, and August 30th at 7:30pm.

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark is an original adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet co-created by Cary Sasso and Ryan Dukes which reimagines the titular prince as a ftm transgender teenager. Picking up on strong affinity queer teens have for Hamlet - he's something of an icon for trans youth - this adaptation asks the question: what if Hamlet was not a prince at all, but a transgender teenager using Shakespeare's text to cope with his grief and isolation, framing the people in his life as queens, kings, and lords and himself as the heroic prince of Denmark as part of a desperate quest for meaning and dignity? As the story progresses and Hamlet begins to lose his grip on reality, the line between Hamlet's imposed Shakespearean narrative and the underlying reality begins to blur, leaving Hamlet alone with his hoodie, his taped-together paper crown which the other characters constantly try to destroy, and his faltering princely persona to navigate a hostile world of genuine royalty hell-bent on ripping away his sense of identity.

Learn more about us @hamletbutmakehimtrans on Instagram!

Tickets for this show are pay as you are able! The recommended ticket price is $15. However, you can pay more if you'd like to donate to help make the show a reality or less/nothing if paying for a ticket presents a financial hardship.

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark contains depictions of violence and M**der, fake weapons (including a prop handgun), and sudden, loud sound effects. The piece likewise deals in-depth with the theme of suicidality, containing expressions of suicidal ideation, a description of a suicide, and depictions of self-harm scars as well as characters almost attempting suicide. The piece also contains depictions of transphobia, particularly misgendering, and the use of a slur for transgender individuals by a transgender person. This piece likewise contains lewd gestures and foul language. It is recommended for audience members 13+

The theater is accessible via an elevator in the lobby. ADA seating will be available. A closed-captioning version of the script can be found by scanning a QR code in the program.

Cary Felix Sasso (he/him) is an NYC-based director, playwright, actor, and proud trans man. His work largely centers around two major focuses: shock, body horror, and obscenity as a site of advocacy and reimagining Shakespearean texts, particularly through queer and trans perspectives. He is the co-creator and director of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark (NExT 2025), the writer and director of The Shakespearean Crossdressers Support Group (NExT 2025 and American Theater of Actors 2024), and the creator and director of Titus Andronicus …and Zombies! (Stanford Shakespeare Company 2024). As an actor, his favorite roles include King Henry IV in Henry IV parts 1 and 2 (Stanford Shakespeare Company), Dr. Chebutykin in Three Sisters (Stanford TAPS), #00 in The Wolves (Stanford TAPS), and Rosalind in As You Like It (Stanford Shakespeare Company). He graduated from Stanford University in 2025 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa with an Honors BA with Distinction in Theater and Performance Studies and a BA with Distinction in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. His honors thesis is titled “Blood, Guts, Gore, and Ethics: Titus Andronicus as the Model for a Safe Campy Horror Comedy.” You can learn more about his work at www.caryfelixsasso.com

Ryan Dukes (he/him) is an actor, designer, and general theater-maker. He is a current student at Stanford University, studying theater making, public policy, and computer science. He has previously acted for the Stanford Shakespeare Company and the Stanford TAPS Department, lighting designed for the Marin Shakespeare Company and Stanford Theater Lab, and is the current co-Executive Producer of the Stanford Shakespeare Company. He would like to thank his family and friends for always supporting him.

Host or Publisher C Sasso