On Thursday, February 22, 2024, a production announcement for "Hamlet," the Vol. 1 of the Sai-no-Kuni Shakespeare Series 2nd, was held at the Sai-no-Kuni Saitama Arts Theater, with Hayato Kakizawa, Kana Kita and Koutarou Yoshida on stage. They talked about their passion and enthusiasm for this production.
The Sai-no-Kuni Shakespeare Series, launched in 1998 under the direction of Yukio Ninagawa, aimed to present all 37 Shakespeare plays in their entirety, and produced a succession of high-profile productions in Japan and abroad. Koutarou Yoshida, receiving the baton of artistic director from Ninagawa, who passed away near the completion of the series, successfully staged the remaining five productions since 2017 and completed the series with the staging of "King John" in February 2023.
In May 2024, Yoshida will begin a new "Sai-no-Kuni Shakespeare Series 2nd". For this memorable first production, Yoshida chose "Hamlet," Shakespeare's immortal masterpiece. The lead role of Hamlet will be played by Hayato Kakizawa, whom Yoshida has been eagerly asking to play this title role.