Ben Duke's 'The Last Hamlet' Premieres at Sadler's Wells East

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Ben Duke directs and stars alongside Miguel Altunaga and Hannah Shepherd in Lost Dog's darkly comic exploration of existence and storytelling.

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Ben Duke will make a return to the London stage in November when he performs at Sadler's Wells East in THE LAST HAMLET, which presents the idea that this could be the last Hamlet…ever…after which Shakespeare's most famous tragedian will never be seen again. Performances will run 4-6 November.

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“Hamlet bears a heavy responsibility for the ills of our time,” observes Ben. “He is depressed, violent and guilty of choosing procrastination over action. Having learned his drama has been cancelled – due to circumstances beyond his control – he's decided to take to the stage for one last time anyway. He's worked up some new material and he's hoping to persuade us to let him stay…”

But in Lost Dog's hands, nothing is sacred.

Shakespeare's most iconic character becomes the starting point for a darkly comic exploration of existence, love, revenge, and the stories we can't seem to escape - no matter how hard we try. This new production combines theatre, movement, text and music and is performed by Lost Dog's Artistic Director, Ben Duke as HAMLET; MIGUEL ALTUNAGA (Rambert, Lost Dog, Akram Khan , Wayne McGregor ) as various characters, and HANNAH SHEPHERD (2025 National Dance Award for her role as Medea in Lost Dog's Ruination) as various characters.

“One of the things that appeals to me about Hamlet is the question: why do we keep performing Hamlet and what does he reflect about the problems we exist inside today?” continues Ben. “I think we all have a bit of Hamlet in us: he is so inconsistent, so multiple, and so incredibly eloquent - most of us can find something he expresses that resonates with us - and the poetry of his language is so amazing that he elevates some of our more ordinary thoughts and feelings into something quite brilliant. My version of Hamlet is a lot less poetic…

Ben Duke is Artistic Director and co-founder of Lost Dog. He trained at Guildford School of Acting, London Contemporary Dance School and has a degree in English Literature from Newcastle University. His work is an attempt to reconcile those three subjects.

For Lost Dog Ben has created many critically-acclaimed works of dance/theatre including the massively popular Ruination, co-produced by the Royal Ballet and winner of the Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Best New Choreography; A Tale of Two Cities; Juliet & Romeo; Paradise Lost (lies unopened beside me), for which he won the Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Male Performance; and the Place Prize Award winner, It Needs Horses.

Ben has also created work for Barrowland Ballet (Chunky Jewellery), Rambert (Cerberus and the Olivier Award Nominated, Goat), Scottish Dance Theatre (The Life and Times of Girl A), Dance Umbrella (The Difference Engine), Phoenix Dance Theatre (Pave up Paradise), and the contemporary circus company Barely Methodical Troupe (Kin).

He created the Swan Lake inspired, There Were Definitely Swans with Hi Fliers dance company and he collaborated with composer Orlando Gough to create a dance theatre piece for stroke survivors with Rosetta Life (Stroke Odyssey).   He has choreographed for theatre projects by The National Theatre of Scotland (Dolls), The Gate Theatre , London (Sexual Neuroses of our Parents) and Handspring UK (CROW).   As a performer he has worked at The Gate Theatre (I am Falling), Hofesh Shechter Company (Political Mother) and Punchdrunk (Faust).

Ben is an Associate Artist at The Place.

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/THE-LAST-HAMLET-to-Open-at-Sadlers-Wells-East-20261001)._