'Naked Hamlet' Production Adds Central Park Shows

CENTRAL PARK, NY — An all-male nude production of Shakespeare's classic "Hamlet" announced it will extend its run by adding two Central Park shows in September.

Torn Out Theater — which staged an all-female nude production of "The Tempest" last year — will perform its production of Hamlet near Central Park's King Jagiello Statue on September 7 and 8. The theater company originally planned for a four-show run in Brookyln's Prospect Park but announced the new shows due to high interest.

The production will feature full-on nudity, but not throughout the entire show.

"The nudity is used throughout the play depending on how it suits the character," Torn Out General Manager Diana Levy told Patch.

The idea to hold an all-male nude production came from people's reactions to Torn Out's all-female nude production of "The Tempest."

“We were excited to see the discussions about women’s bodies that started after The Tempest,” the show's director Pitr Strait said in a statement. “But we were surprised when we saw how many people started discussing men’s bodies as well."

"Some people rebelled against the idea that only women could be empowered by their bodies. And other people thanked us for ‘sparing’ them the unpleasant sight of a group of naked men. We were promised that doing an all-male version would get us arrested or worse. When there are that many gnarled and violent emotions in the world about something, you have to try and untangle them."

Both the September 7 and 8 productions will begin around 5 p.m. The play is free to attend, but seating will be given on a first come, first served basis. The show will not take advanced seating reservations.

"Hamlet seemed like the perfect play to address these issues," Torn Out Theater’s Artistic Director, Alice Mottola, said in a statement. "It’s the story of a man searching for honesty. Hamlet risks everything to reveal the truth about his family, his nation, and himself. He’s called a lunatic, threatened with exile and death, and ultimately robbed of everything he holds dear. We mourn him, but we don’t pity him. He’s won. He’s defied society and exposed its hypocrisies. He’s caused chaos to restore order. He’s been true to himself above all else."

Photo courtesy Marjolaine Gallet/Torn Out Theater