This May, Rose City Stage Company presents a stripped-down Lab Production of Hamlet in Old Town, created in partnership with Central City Concern and staged during Mental Health Awareness Month. With minimal staging and nowhere to hide, this intimate production places Shakespeare’s most psychologically volatile tragedy in direct dialogue with the neighborhood that surrounds it.

Featuring a small cast and a tightly cut script, this Hamlet arrives raw and exposed—pressing on the fault lines where grief overwhelms, expectation corners, and the mind begins to fracture. Select performances will include post-show talkbacks with a mental health professional, extending the conversation beyond the stage and into the community.