Actors during the dress rehearsal for Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country, the headline show for the Hostry Festival this year. PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY

The curtain has gone up on a new show that picks up where Shakespeare left off with one of his most famous tragedies.

Actors during the dress rehearsal for Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country, the headline show for the Hostry Festival this year. PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY

Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country, the headline show of the 2012 Hostry Festival in Norwich, looks at what could have happened next following the final tragic scene of the Bard’s tale of the Prince of Denmark.

Over the weekend, part of Norwich Cathedral’s Hostry has been transformed into a mysterious new world in which the ancient architecture of the historic site has been incorporated into an afterlife with reminiscences of the palace of Elsinore.

Tonight the cast – with actor Tom Harper playing the title role – took to this stage and brought the characters of Hamlet back to life once more.

And prior to the show the audience was also be treated to a unique piece of movement theatre by inclusive performance group Total Ensemble who have devised a special Prologue as a reminder of the key scenes from the original Hamlet.

Stash Kirkbride, who co-wrote Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country with Peter Beck and has directed the show, paid tribute to the hard work of all the performers and everyone who helped to make it possible.

He said: “This main house double bill of Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country and Prologue is an extraordinary example of what can be achieved with lots of people working together. It is a real community project.

“What the audience are going to witness is the first version of the play and the physical theatre piece.

“It is a work in progress because we are going to keep on working on it even after the Hostry Festival has finished.”

He said following the festival he also hoped to create a film of the play set in Norfolk.

Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country also features an original music score by Chris Ellis.

Total Ensemble’s Prologue and Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country at Norwich Cathedral’s Hostry runs until Saturday. Performances start each night at 7.30pm. Tickets £15. To book call 01603 218450. For more information visit www.hostryfestival.org