Open Air Theatre at Chichester Cathedral | Hamlet with The Lord Chamberlain's Men

To celebrate 20 years of open air theatre, the Lord Chamberlains Men are proud to stage Hamlet in Chichester Cathedral's historic green space.

With a history stretching back to William Shakespeare’s original company, they present this great play as he first saw it – in the open air, with an all male cast and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance.

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

Returning home from university for his father, the King of Denmark’s funeral, which is also the occasion of his mother’s remarriage to his uncle, Hamlet the Prince, is visited by the ghost of his father. The ghost reveals that his brother, Hamlet’s uncle, now stepfather and King, killed him and he urges Hamlet to take revenge. Driven to distraction by the grief of his father’s death and what lies ahead of him, Hamlet is forced to confront his deepest fears and in doing so questions himself, those around him and the very nature of existence.

“To be, or not to be, that is the question.”

Thrilling, moving and deeply human this stunning play seeks answers to life’s biggest questions and, in doing so, holds up a mirror to all our natures.

“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all”

Bring a chair and a picnic and prepare to be entertained and transported. Book early to avoid missing out!


  • Running time (approx) 2 hrs 10 min (including interval)
  • Doors: 6.00pm
  • Starts at 7.00pm
  • Adult £18.00 / Child £10.00
     

More information

Venue information

Chichester Cathedral is located in the centre of Chichester, surrounded by lawns and minutes away from the award-winning Bishop’s Palace Gardens. The open air production will be performed on the South West Lawn, where the audience can indulge in a splendid close-up view of the 900 year old cathedral.

What to bring

Please bring your own low-backed seating. Picnics, sun hats, sun cream, sunglasses, raincoats and rain hats should all be considered!

Access

This venue is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility. For information about carer’s tickets please click here>>

Getting here

There is no parking at this venue. Located in the heart of Chichester there are many options for nearby car parks and public transport.

Weather

Our performances continue in all but the very worst weather! On very rare occasions, it will not be possible for us to complete the performance, but we will never cancel a performance before the advertised start time.

Should the performance start and then be called off by the weather, no refund can be issued however if the weather is so bad that the performance cannot even begin, a full refund will be issued.

Please visit this WEATHER PAGE for more details.

Relaxed performances

We believe that all of our performances can be considered as relaxed. The lights don’t go down (until the sun sets!), the performances take place in the open air where there is plenty of space for audience members and all are welcome. We believe that theatre should be as accessible as possible and will be happy to talk to you about how we can make it accessible for you. If you have specific questions regarding your attendance at one of our performances please do not hesitate to get in contact with us so that we can help to welcome you. Contact details are here>>

Other information
  • The performance will be approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes long including an interval.
  • Patrons are required to bring a chair/blanket/something to sit on. Seating is NOT provided.
  • Only assistance dogs are permitted at this performance.