Content

Hamlet is a pretty dark story and Inside Hamlet is a pretty dark larp. Not all characters starts out as horrible human beings but most become morally corrupt before dying at the end. Broadly speaking, your character’s actions in the larp will follow its act themes Decadence, Deception and Death. We recommend this larp for players aged 21 or over. (There is no upper age limit; previous runs have had players up into their sixties).

 

The larp is played in a very physical style where dancing is dancing and fighting looks real. Real alcohol will be served, but players deemed too intoxicated to participate responsibly will be removed from play (convincing-looking alcohol-free options are always available so your character can get drunk while you pace yourself).

 

All genders, sexualities and bodies are invited to act wicked and be beautiful at this larp. During play you are likely to become witness to nudity, public displays of affection and sexuality, or simulated but realistic-looking sex, violence or drug-taking.

 

A good minimum comfort level for participation is for you to be able to hold hands with or kiss a stranger lightly on the cheek. But whether gentle intimacy, portrayed lust or pretended violence, you will always have full control of your own body and of the story you are playing. You always choose who to touch and control who touches you. You can always leave any situation and step outside the play area to take a break from the fiction as needed.

 

Character immersion can be jarringly powerful. A co-created story can be a site of escape and transformation, but it is not therapeutic. If the descriptions on this page make you uncomfortable, you will probably also be uncomfortable at the event. Please remember both as you consider playing and later on site that self-care comes first. 

​

This is an experience where the characters make terrible choices, and the participants make excellent choices.

 

Access and Ability

In this larp, the player’s body represents the character’s body. Two of the characters need to be able to actually do fencing. The handful of named characters from Shakespeare’s play – like Polonius and Laertes – will need to be able to read and memorise a significant amount of text. Beyond that none of the characters have ability requirements to play.

 

Unfortunately the building is a renaissance castle and basically not accessible at all. Play will take place on different floors of the building, and the only stairs are a poorly-lit centuries-old winding stone staircase. During the respective acts play is focused to a specific area, and you are not expected to use the stairs much. But there is no other access, and the bathrooms are across the cobblestone yard. In practice, you will need to navigate the stairs to be able to play this larp.

 

Most of the the first act will take place during a party and there will be music playing and noisy revelry in the room. Please take this into account if you are hard of hearing.

 

During some parts of the play, dim lighting and dark corners are a feature. The floors are not entirely even. If you have restricted vision or light mobility issues and would like to play, please get in touch with us. Since we’ve used the location before, we can give very detailed descriptions of the conditions.

 

Standard accommodation will be in shared hostel rooms, though you can purchase a hotel room upgrade if you need your alone time. Please note that you are likely to sleep less than on a normal weekend. During play, you can always step out to an “off-game room” outside of the fiction, where you can take a breather, sit in quiet, have a cookie or a cup of coffee and reflect on which direction you would like your character to take next.

 

We regret that the choice to use the specific historical venue makes this larp impossible for many players. While it is certainly no consolation now, we would like you to know that the design of Inside Hamlet is not in itself location specific. We are exploring possibilities to run it elsewhere in the future.