(ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage takes Shakespeare on the road from July 10-19, 2026 with outdoor performances of Hamlet abridged in four parks. This is a taut reimagining of Shakespeare's legendary story of family, revenge, and the corrupting influence of power.
At its core, Hamlet is not only the story of a young adult mourning their father, but of a society that has lost its moral center. As a corrupt leader rises and integrity erodes, grief becomes political, and political failure becomes heartbreakingly personal.
A taut, intimate Hamlet for right now, this bold five-actor production reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy as a collision of private grief and public collapse. With just five actors playing thirteen roles, the story moves at breakneck speed, sharpening both the humor and the urgency of a world where something deeply corrupt has taken hold—and everyone seems willing to carry on as if nothing is wrong.
By turns funny, furious, and devastating, Hamlet asks an uncomfortably familiar question: how does something so wrong come to feel so normal? The stripped-down staging exposes how denial, complicity, and the desire for comfort allow rot to spread. In a moment when we mourn the loss of decency, truth, and ethical order, Shakespeare’s tragedy feels urgent, prescient, and impossible to ignore.
Performances take place in Orange (Monte Irvin Park, Metcalf Park, and Colgate Park) and Mayapple Hill in West Orange, New Jersey. Reserve your FREE tickets online here.
Hamlet abridged is adapted and directed by Rajesh Bose. It features 5 actors in a 90 minute version of the classic play.
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. Recently Luna’s commissioned world premiere RIFT by Gabriel Jason Dean made its international debut at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre where it was honored with the 2025 Scotsman Fringe First Award. Other Luna world premieres include Tony Award-winner Matthew Lopez’s breakout play The Whipping Man, which became one of the most widely-produced plays in the United States; Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, which had two extended runs Off-Broadway in the 2024-2025 season; three premieres by Obie-winner Nikkole Salter; and the Luna-commissioned The Ground On Which We Stand, which received the 2024 Giles R. Wright Designation for Excellence in African American History.
The company has served as an arts anchor of New Jersey’s Valley Arts neighborhood, a traditionally-underserved region bridging the townships of Orange and West Orange. Luna received the JerseyArts People’s Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in New Jersey, and is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists.
