Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the cast for Short Shakespeare! Hamlet. This original and accessible 75-minute adaptation directed by CST Artistic Director Edward Hall brings new clarity to the timeless classic, offering a chance for audiences to see themselves reflected through the 400-year-old story. Reeling from grief, the young Prince of Denmark navigates the loss of his father, his mother’s betrayal, and relationships torn apart. Starring Chicago Shakespeare favorite Jaylon Muchison in the title role and featuring a talented ensemble that includes Scott Aiello, Joe Foust, Charence Higgins, Beric Orion, Jessica Dean Turner, and Maureen Yasko, the production poses the big questions: What is right? What is wrong? To be... or not to be? Every performance includes a post-show conversation with the cast to give you an insider’s perspective into bringing the story to the stage. Public performances run in the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, January 31-February 28, and will be featured as part of Chicago Theatre Week 2026. The production will also welcome nearly 20,000 students from Chicagoland and beyond to weekday matinees.
Edward Hall noted, “Hamlet was written at a time of such great uncertainty and turbulence, making this an electric moment to delve back into his story of family, politics, and identity. After my experience directing Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream last year, I relish the opportunity of sharing Hamlet with a young audience that has so much to teach me about the world in which I live.”
“When we asked our school partners what they wanted out of Short Shakespeare!, we received an overwhelmingly positive response to the play Hamlet,” shared CST’s Director of Education and Lifelong Learning Nora Carroll. “This feedback felt like an exciting call to action and a creative challenge: how do we distill this complex play into 75-minutes of engaging and thoughtful storytelling? As this is our first abridgement of Hamlet, we've enjoyed reading and re-reading the play (aloud), finding new meaning, asking essential questions, and creating educational resources for the classroom. And now, it's a great joy to be able to introduce this work to young people and witness them, in a room full of their peers, wrestle with themes of love, grief, family, action, and identity.”
Jaylon Muchison returns to Chicago Shakespeare in the title role of Hamlet, after acclaimed performances in Henry V, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Much Ado About Nothing. He is joined by a talented ensemble cast featuring Scott Aiello as Claudius (Richard III and Henry V at CST), Joe Foust as Polonius (Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale, and more at CST), Charence Higgins as Ophelia (Shakes in the City: Twelfth Night at CST), Beric Orion (CST debut, credits with The Theatre School at DePaul and Prague Shakespeare Company), Jessica Dean Turner as Gertrude (Richard III at CST), and Maureen Yasko (CST debut, Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus and more at Babes With Blades Theatre Company).
CST’s Short Shakespeare! series is just one component of CST’s award-winning lifelong learning programs that serve more students and teachers than any theater in Chicago. Recognized as a national leader in the field, the Theater’s arts-in-literacy programs support the work in classrooms across the region for tens of thousands of students each year by bringing complex texts to life onstage and through a variety of professional learning opportunities for teachers. Every year, Chicago Shakespeare brings high school students from across Chicago and the wider metropolitan area together to celebrate the power of play, community, language, and imagination in the Chicago Shakespeare Slam. This year, Chicago Shakespeare also welcomed a new cohort to the Bard Core program: a year-long professional learning seminar that introduces Chicago Public School teachers to drama-based strategies for engaging students—including struggling and reluctant readers, and English language learners—with Shakespeare and other challenging texts. In the past year, 473 educators have taken advantage of professional development opportunities, free workshops, and digital classroom resources. Learners of all ages deepen their engagement with CST productions through Pre•Amble talks and post-show discussions, and the $30 Under 30 discounted ticket program for young professionals and students reduces barriers to participation for thousands of first-time attendees.
More information at chicagoshakes.com or on social media at @chicagoshakes.
Short Shakespeare! Hamlet
By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Roger Warren
Directed by Edward Hall
January 31-February 28, 2026
Jentes Family Courtyard Theater
Public performances at 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays
Additional 3:00 p.m. public performance on February 28
CAST
Jaylon Muchison - Hamlet
Scott Aiello – Claudius
Joe Foust - Polonius
Charence Higgins - Ophelia
Beric Orion - Fencer
Jessica Dean Turner - Gertrude
Maureen Yasko - Fencer
CREATIVE TEAM
Roger Warren - Adapter
Edward Hall - Director
Michael Pavelka - Scenic & Costume Designer
Alec Thorne - Lighting Designer
Nicholas Pope - Sound Designer
Lindsay Mummert - Associate Scenic Designer
Lucy Elkin - Associate Costume Designer
Katrina Herrmann - Production Stage Manager
Anna Vu - Assistant Stage Manager
CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER (CST)
CST is a leading international theater company and the nation’s largest year-round theater dedicated to the works of Shakespeare. Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director Edward Hall and Executive Director Kimberly Motes, the Regional Tony Award recipient is committed to creating vivid, entertaining theatrical experiences that invigorate and engage people of all ages and identities by illuminating the complexity, ambiguity, and wonder of our world. Each year, nearly a quarter of a million people experience CST’s artistry through more than 12 productions. With Shakespeare at the heart of the artistic work, CST also produces compelling, contemporary stories from fresh voices of today. CST brings the world to Chicago and sends Chicago out into the world as Chicago’s foremost presenter of international theater, and consistent producer of North American and world premieres. Serving more students and teachers than any theater in the city, CST annually welcomes more than 20,000 students to performances and programs like Chicago Shakespeare SLAM, alongside professional development opportunities for teachers. CST activates its campus with three venues: 700-seat The Yard; the 500-seat Jentes Family Courtyard Theater; and the 200-seat Carl and Marilynn Thoma Upstairs Studio. Free programs like Shakes in the City bring performances to parks and community spaces across Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. Shared humanity and unforgettable stories—now THIS is Chicago Shakespeare. www.chicagoshakes.com