Grand Theft Hamlet or How To Pull Off GTA’s First Ever Shakespearean Play
The possibilities within a virtual world are endless. With a vast wealth of experiences, characters and stories available to the player, games such as Grand Theft Auto can be pure escapism. But can they be more than that? Shot entirely in GTA, Grand Theft Hamlet explores the sense of community that such virtual worlds can create and the art that can be born from violence.
January 2021. Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen are taking solace from the third UK lockdown in Grand Theft Auto. They drive around in golf buggies, swim in the sea, play slots in the casino… but, being the brutal world of GTA, there’s also quite a large smattering of violence as they steal cars, shoot at other players and run from the police. It is the perfect covid-free sanctuary. When the out-of-work actors stumble across an outdoor amphitheatre within the game, they begin to wonder – how about putting on a virtual play instead? Mark and Sam are joined by Sam’s partner, filmmaker Pinny, and the stage is set for them to put on Grand Theft Auto’s first ever performance of Hamlet.
The team face numerous comical game-related hurdles along the way. The auditions prove initially fruitless as players seem more interested in literally shooting them down than listening to their vision. The police and SWAT teams keep aggressively intervening, also shooting them down. Sam and Mark’s running commentary provides some warm and relatable laugh out loud moments. Despite the setbacks, the team perseveres as they realise the scope available to them in putting on a play virtually – with countless backdrops, costumes and characters, it’s Hamlet on a billion-dollar budget. The freedom takes them well beyond the constraints of a normal theatre.
Mark, Pinny and Sam’s in-game avatars.
Beginning to question whether they will meet anyone who wants to join them on their artistic quest, the team then meet DJ Phil, a topless man wearing a top hat who, against all odds and despite initially shooting at them, transpires to be a literary agent who loves Hamlet. From then on, we’re introduced to a plethora of characters, from the ridiculous to the fascinating, each with their own stories and talent. As we draw closer to the final performance, it’s heartwarming to see the eccentric collection of avatars put genuine care and effort into the project: a hopeful and caring community despite being built within the endless cycle of gratuitous violence surrounding them.
Witnessing the inception of this online community is especially poignant against the backdrop of what’s happening in the real world, a time of deep loneliness and isolation as a result of the covid lockdowns. Sam, Mark and Pinny speak frankly and honestly about their struggles offline and there are conflicts between the team (some of which feel more staged than others). Set against the contrast of this bleak reality, the solidarity they find within the game gives hope for the solace that these kinds of virtual worlds can bring people.
There are some quite clear parallels between Grand Theft Auto and Shakespeare. For one, the inherent violence. From Macbeth to the especially brutal Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s plays are full of gore, suicide and murder. Hamlet feels like an especially poignant choice. As Sam and Mark discuss, Hamlet involves everyone trying to be something they’re not and dying in the process. What more fitting a backdrop than the world of GTA, full of people represented by avatars constantly being killed? To be or not to be, as they traverse the San Andreas landscape while being shot at. Throughout the film, the team muse on the contradictions of violence and art in Hamlet, but also within the landscape of GTA. Grand Theft Hamlet serves as a reminder that beauty and art can transcend the world’s brutality and violence.
Grand Theft Hamlet won Best Debut Director and Raindance Maverick Award at the British Independent Film Awards, as well as the SXSW Best Documentary Feature Award in 2024.
It was selected at Visions du Réel, the BFI London Film Festival and IDFA in the Best of Fests selection.
The film is currently in US theatres and will be available on Mubi globally from February 21st.
