Common Ground Theatre will bring its Winter Shakespeare Residency to The Playground Theatre this December, presenting an emotionally charged new production of Hamlet alongside the return of its acclaimed Twelfth Night.
Running in alternating repertory from 9 to 16 December 2026, the residency places love, loss and emotional vulnerability at the heart of Shakespeare’s work. Both productions blend Shakespeare’s original text with Common Ground Theatre’s distinctive approach, incorporating live music, physical storytelling and intimate performance.
The residency includes the London premiere of Hamlet, a contemporary interpretation that shifts the focus from court politics to the deeply human experiences of grief, mental health and loss.
The production follows Hamlet, Ophelia and Laertes as they navigate profound personal bereavement and the pressures it places on their relationships, responsibilities and sense of self. An original live score performed at the side of the stage aims to create an unusually intimate and emotionally immediate experience for audiences.
Alongside Hamlet, Common Ground Theatre revives its acclaimed production of Twelfth Night, which explores Shakespeare’s themes of love and loss while also examining pride, hatred and revenge.
Featuring vibrant costumes, classic clowning and live music, the production is designed to make Shakespeare accessible to audiences of all backgrounds. Composer and multi-instrumentalist Sadie Jemmett performs a continuous live score alongside new musical settings of Shakespeare’s words.
When the production appeared at the 2024 York International Shakespeare Festival, The Observer awarded it four stars and praised Jemmett’s “Elizabethan/folk/Dylan-style music” as “terrific”, describing the musicians’ work as “exemplary accompaniment”.
Twelfth Night is currently registered for an OffComm, an OffWestEnd Commendation, and in the Design: Sound category of the Fringe Theatre Awards.
Common Ground Theatre was founded by composer and former Footsbarn Theatre Artistic Director Sadie Jemmett and actor Lydia Keating. The company creates accessible Shakespeare productions inspired by the traditions of travelling theatre, combining dynamic storytelling with the energy of live music and song.
The Winter Shakespeare Residency begins with the London premiere and press night of Hamlet on 9 December, followed by the press night for Twelfth Night on 10 December, with performances continuing through to 16 December.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
