A Two Woman Hamlet

It’s Hamlet, but not as you know it. Two women (and a skull) take on 23 roles between them in 60 minutes, in a spectacularly fun and surprisingly moving theatrical event. This is an unpretentious adaptation, with joys in it for those familiar with Hamlet and those new to the story.

Following the critical success of the original production by Sherman and Friends at the Capitol Fringe (Washington, DC, 2018) and Edinburgh Fringe (2022), The Yorickans developed a fresh take on this irreverent adaptation for a sold-out run at Colchester’s Lakeside Theatre in March 2025.

The team then took the show on tour, performing at the Camden and Colchester Fringe Festivals and the Wickham Theatre in Bristol last year. The Yorickans are delighted to bring the show back to its home turf, now with the two original principal actors (Sharmila Peake and Deanna Strasse) switching over to the other track.

Fun, fast-paced and with a feminist heart, A Two Woman Hamlet is truly a different show with every performance!

Based on an original concept by Mara Sherman, Hannah Sweet and Nicola Collett 

• Directed by Nora J. Williams 
• Movement Director – Marina Cusi 
• Performers – Sharmila Peake, Deanna Strasse, Lolly Taylor 

Review highlights:  

• ‘Inventive, committed, and unafraid to challenge convention.’ Colchester Gazette 
• ‘A refreshing and audacious reimagining of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy.’ Colchester Gazette 
• ‘Hamlet is brought to life by two extraordinary women (and the occasional glove puppet) in an energetic and inventive production.’ Keep Colchester Cool

Biographies:

Director – Nora J. Williams (she/her) is an academic and theatre-maker based in Colchester. She grew up in the vibrant local theatre scene of Buffalo, New York. She moved to Exeter in 2011 to pursue an MA, and stayed on to complete her PhD in Early Modern drama. She’s now Associate Dean for Access and Participation at BIMM University. Her next directing gig is Richard II for Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare. 

Movement Director – Marina Cusí (she/her) is an award-winning Catalan multidisciplinary artist and theatre-maker based in the UK, whose work focuses on multicultural and multilingual theatre, and human rights advocacy through an intersectional feminist lens. She is the founder and current Artistic Director and Producer at Mad, Who?, creating multilingual captioned shows that were finalists at The OFFIES Awards in 2024 and 2025. Cusí currently works at the Lakeside Theatre and at the Festival of Spanish Theatre in London (FesTeLõn). 

Understudying the Hamlet and Horatio tracks – Lolly Taylor (any pronouns) is a recent graduate in  Drama & Literature from the University of Essex, where they also served as the Vice President of the Theatre Arts Society. They have been acting since childhood, and are now studying for an MA in Acting at East 15. Lolly performed the Horatio track of A Two Woman Hamlet at the Camden Fringe Festival in August 2025 and the Hamlet track at the Wickham Theatre in Bristol last December. 

Hamlet/Laertes/Fortinbras/Gertrude/Ophelia and others – Deanna Strasse (she/her) is an award-winning playwright (and occasional actress). Deanna holds a Masters in Scriptwriting from the University of Essex and has seen her work developed and produced in theatres such as Network Theatre (London), The Box Theatre Co (Oconomowoc, WI), Golden Chain Theatre (Oakhurst, CA), Bishkek International School (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) and more. She performed the Horatio track of A Two Woman Hamlet at Colchester Fringe Festival in October 2025, where she also staged her one-woman show Dead Doves and Lemons… Check out her upcoming show Pseudonym at Lakeside Theatre this February and as part of Brighton Fringe this May. DeannaStrasse.com   

Horatio/Claudius/Polonius/Ophelia/Gertrude and others – Sharmila Peake (she/her) is an actor based in Essex. She played Alice in Snake in the Grass and was assistant to the director for Tartuffe (both at the Headgate Theatre). She performed the Hamlet track of A Two Woman Hamlet at the Camden Fringe Festival in August and the Colchester Fringe Festival in October 2025.