Can you help us?

Nick Hennegan asks, Can you help us get Hamlet - Horatio’s Tale to the Edinburgh Festival?  And then around the world...

A one-man show, HAMLET - HORATIO'S TALE is actually one man and a voice - that voice belonging to non other than Sir Derek Jacobi, who has kindly recorded the voice of Old King Hamlet.  And the one man, is, in fact, going to be a woman.  We can now announce Kizzy Dunn. 

We are premiering the production at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, in rep with Henry V - Lion of England, then touring the UK afterwards.  

Edinburgh is the biggest open arts festival in the world.  The problem is cashflow!  We ALREADY have two commercial managements interested in touring the show from early 2019, including the masters of solo theatre who have kindly cash-flowed the registrations for the festival.

But even if we sell out in Edinburgh, we will only just break even.  So why do it?  Because it is an international showcase of the highest calibre. And you can help take us around the world!

Here’s some background….


In 1992 in Birmingham, I wrote and directed a one-man version of Shakespeare’s classic, Henry V. Called ‘HENRY V - LION OF ENGLAND’  It was picked up after a showing at the Midlands Arts Centre (mac) in Birmingham by Starward Ltd - then mangers of Jasper Carrott and Phil Cool - and taken to the Edinburgh Festival, where it proved to be a critical and audience hit. Since then it has steadily travelled around the UK, Ireland, Europe and the USA, although we neglected it a bit to build a fringe theatre scene in Birmingham having established the Maverick Theatre Company.

Maverick was launched by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham in 1994 as a result of my experience of the Edinburgh Fringe. Our unique creative proposition had considerable success in attracting new audiences and practitioners to theatre, mainly through performing in pubs.

But it is now time to return to what proved to be a creative and exciting theatre model - fusing advanced theatre technology with the intimacy of a one-person show telling Shakespeare’s extraordinary classic texts.

The Maverick Theatre Company is all about creating new audiences and practitioners for theatre, and my first Shakespeare adaptation received plaudits from around the world and has been seen by tens of thousands of people - particularly, although not exclusively - those new to Shakespeare. It is anticipated HAMLET - HORATIO’S TALE will have a long life and, as with HENRY V - LION OF ENGLAND, be constantly in demand at various levels of production around the world.

THE BOTTOM LINE!

(You’d have thought at my age I could have funded these myself for Maverick.  But no, the arts are a cruel mistress..!)

If you would like to become a shareholder

in Hamlet - Horatio's Tale and buy a share - a unit - in the production, please register your interest here. (Mininum £2,000)

OR BECOME A FRIEND OF HAMLET - HAMLET'S ANGELS!

The money raised will go directly to paying for props, set and costume, travel, accommodation and food for all the team for the festival.  

THANK YOU.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO BECOME A SHAREHOLDER - A THEATRE 'ANGEL'...

I have a prospectus prepared by the lovely Malcom at Haines Watts.  We capitalise at £120,000 to do Edinburgh and set up the first national tour, starting in January 2019.  We’re initially going to tour small and medium scale UK and Ireland venues for guaranteed fees - we already have interest from around 30 venues - with the option of performing Henry V - Lion of England and Hamlet - Horatio's Tale in rep, played by the lovely actor, Kizzy Dunn.  She has a great physicality and depth of emotion and I think she’ll be brilliant.  Add to that the recent advances in technology (Q-lab and smart lights, etc) and I think we shall do rather well for some years to come and around the world, bringing a high tech, quality, affordable experience!  

NHA are going to offer 30, £4,000 units of investment. Some half units at £2k will be available.  This will buy the investor a 4% share of profit of Hamlet - Horatio’s Tale per unit for the life of the production.  They will also get tickets for the premiere in Edinburgh and the after-show party. Natch!

Although, be warned, investing in theatre is a risky business.  You must be aware you could lose your money.  Although, perhaps because of Derek, we’ve already had enquires from as far away as Australia, and we ain’t done the show yet!   

Any queries or help - please get in touch!   Thanks.  Nick x

If you do know any potential investors, who might fancy a tax-efficient £4k punt, perhaps you could give ‘em a nod our way!  

Robb Williams (Composer) Nick Hennegan (Writer and Director) and Sir Derek Jacobi, outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

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