Creation Theatre begins its new season with Hamlet in the grand setting of Oxford Castle, writes NICOLA LISLE

Three wooden blocks, two actors, one director. If you think that sounds like the ingredients for a 20th-century drama such as Waiting for Godot then you couldn't be more wrong. This was a rehearsal of Creation Theatre's production of Hamlet, in the very un-Danish setting of All Saints Church Hall in Headington.

The production has opened within the much more atmospheric confines of Oxford Castle, and is once again being directed by Gari Jones, who already has the acclaimed productions of The Merchant of Venice and Arabian Nights under his belt. What were his thoughts as he approached Hamlet?

"I'm not reverential about it at all," he admitted. "I approach Shakespeare like I do any other piece of writing. It's a good story, so first and foremost it's about telling the story as clearly as possible. Part of the brief of working for Creation is to make it as accessible as possible. It's not going to be to everyone's taste, but I think that's what theatre's for."

Creation productions are renowned for their contemporary approach, and this Hamlet is certainly no exception.

"It's a sort of modern gothic," Gari explained. "In a way, it's futuristic - it's got that element to it. It's got a supernatural slant as well, but then it's got ghosts in the play, so it's not me doing that. Anything I do, to me is already in the play."

For Gari, Hamlet is riddled with themes that have resonances for today.

"Spirituality - that whole idea of how we feel about ourselves and whether we come back - I don't know the answers, but I think those are really interesting ideas.

"There's also a religious strand. It's about life and death, they're things we can be thinking about all the time.

"The other is the identity of young people and how they relate to adults, in particular their parents.

"Certainly in today's society I think that's really interesting because things have changed so much, with higher divorce rates. And that's all in the play.

"So I definitely wanted a sense of the modern, but I think there's a gothic edge to it as well."

The Oxford Castle setting sounds idyllic, but it does present its own set of problems?

"Part of doing the show in the outdoor space is that it becomes much more stylised and theatrical. You have to do it differently to how you'd do it in a studio theatre.

"For example, everything needs to be bigger. So you have to find ways of making theatre in a different way, which takes you down some very interesting roads.

"It's about problem-solving and being positive about the fact that there are problems. You're forced to make decisions which often lead you to doing something interesting."

When I dropped into rehearsal, the company was about halfway through an intensive, four-week run though, and Gari was clearly optimistic.

"It's a much more regimented way of rehearsing than I'm used to, but as long as it gets the result, that's what matters.

"A big part of what I do is casting well. Because I only had a short amount of time, I wanted to work with people I trusted and who I knew could be quite brave about what they're doing. A lot of it is about them making bold choices and then going with it.

"It's very much a character-led, text-led work, but it's also about me trusting the actors to do their work, because we haven't got time to mess about."

One of those tried and tested actors is Gary Shelford, who appeared in Arabian Nights at Christmas, and is taking on the title role in this production. Although he is an experienced Shakespearian actor, this is his first Hamlet. How does he feel about taking the role on?

"It's a bit daunting because it's such a well-known play and people have pre-conceived ideas about how they think it should be played.

"It's also such a complex part. Hamlet's ahead of his time - he's a real thinker. He's in awe of the world and wants to know everything about it. Then, all of a sudden, the world changes. He's lost his father. So the play is about how he struggles and what he knows he has to do."

Creation Theatre's production of Hamlet continues at Oxford Castle until July 28. Box office: 01865 766266 or visit www.creationtheatre.co.uk. If you book for performances up to June 15, you can save £5 on each Premium, Band A or Band B seat booked. There is also a workshop, Hijack Hamlet, for 12- to 18-year-olds from August 6-10, which gives youngsters the opportunity to work out their own interpretation of the play in the Oxford Castle. Contact the box office for further details.