On 16–17 June 2026, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing supported the participation of the Marin Sorescu National Theatre Craiova in the Hong Kong International Shakespeare Festival through the presentation of Hamlet, a co-production with the British company Cheek by Jowl. The production was the only Romanian performance included in the festival’s official programme.
Considered William Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet is a profound tragedy exploring themes of betrayal, madness, death, and the complexities of the human condition. In this contemporary interpretation, the story follows Prince Hamlet of Denmark, haunted by the ghost of his murdered father and driven into a relentless quest for revenge, while confronting his own doubts and moral dilemmas.
Directed by Declan Donnellan and featuring a minimalist stage design by Nick Ormerod, the production was presented to Hong Kong audiences in two performances on 16 and 17 June 2026 at Freespace. Each performance attracted more than 300 spectators and was received with great interest by local audiences.
Following the first performance, a post-show discussion brought together a large portion of the audience and featured Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod, Vlad Udrescu and Laurențiu Tudor, moderated by Dr. Kristen Murray. The event included a question-and-answer session, creating a valuable platform for dialogue between the creative team and local spectators.
The participation of the Marin Sorescu National Theatre Craiova in the Hong Kong International Shakespeare Festival provided significant international visibility for both the institution and Romanian theatre more broadly, reaffirming the artistic relevance of Romanian productions on major international stages.
The two performances in Hong Kong also represented a natural continuation of the close collaboration established with the festival organisers during the inaugural edition in 2024, as well as an extension of the Shakespeare Festival recently organised by the theatre in Craiova at the end of May. It is worth noting that the Shakespeare Festival has established editions in several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Poland and Romania, and since 2024 has also expanded to Hong Kong.
This year’s participation of the Marin Sorescu National Theatre further demonstrates the strong cultural cooperation between Romanian and Chinese theatre institutions. Among these partnerships is the long-standing collaboration between the Radu Stanca National Theatre Sibiu and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival, which this year marks eight years of cultural cooperation.
The Hong Kong International Shakespeare Festival is Asia’s first international arts platform dedicated entirely to the works of William Shakespeare. The festival is organised by Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio in strategic partnership with the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Its Artistic Director, Tang Shu-wing, is widely regarded as one of Hong Kong’s most distinguished theatre directors. He conceived the idea for the festival in 2017 after attending numerous Shakespeare festivals across Europe and observing the enduring influence of Shakespeare on contemporary audiences and artists.
The inaugural Hong Kong International Shakespeare Festival took place in June 2024 at Freespace, West Kowloon, with government funding of approximately HKD 3 million. The theme of the first edition was “International Cultural Exchange” and featured five productions, including the Romanian performance King Lear.
The second edition was held from 5 to 21 June 2026 across several venues in Hong Kong, including Freespace, West Kowloon, the Cantonese Opera Theatre and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Under the theme “Breathe Shakespeare” (呼吸莎劇), the 2026 festival presented nine programmes comprising ten productions, including eight Hong Kong premieres. Participating artists and companies came from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, the Tibet Autonomous Region, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Poland.
The two performances by the Marin Sorescu National Theatre attracted more than 600 spectators in total, including students and professors from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, as well as numerous theatre professionals, many of whom expressed highly positive impressions of the production.
The project formed part of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing’s strategy to promote outstanding examples of Romanian culture and artistic excellence to audiences in China.
