GRAND THEFT HAMLET: Community and Creativity in Online Worlds

The Screen & Cultural Studies program are proud to host a free screening of GRAND THEFT HAMLET followed by a conversation between Professor Dan Golding (Swinburne University of Technology) and Dr Cass Barkman. Dan and Cass will discuss game culture, cinema and theatre and the weird, special power of online communities.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, two out-of-work actors, Sam and Mark, face a bleak future. Desperate for purpose, they stumble upon an idea: stage Shakespeare's Hamlet within the ruthless and unpredictable world of Grand Theft Auto Online. Shot entirely in-game, GRAND THEFT HAMLET explores their attempt to merge classical theatre with a chaotic digital landscape. With stunning visuals and unexpected moments of reflection, this engaging documentary examines how ancient cultural narratives can still resonate in new, virtual spaces, raising questions about art, isolation, and the digital world’s potential for storytelling.

Professor Dan Golding is Chair of Media and Communication at Swinburne University, the host of Screen Sounds on ABC Classic, and an award-winning composer and writer. He is the author of Star Wars After Lucas (University of Minnesota Press, 2019), and with Leena van Deventer the co-author of Game Changers (Affirm Press, 2016). He also created the soundtrack for the BAFTA, DICE, and GDCA winning Untitled Goose Game (2019), which became the first game soundtrack to be nominated for an ARIA award in history. Dan also co-hosts the popular film music podcast Art of the Score.

Dr Cass Barkman is a Lecturer in Media and Communications at the University of Melbourne. Her research areas are interdisciplinary, stretching across media studies, screen studies, game studies and narratology and including topics like screen media, narrative complexity, videogames, pedagogy, metalepsis, fandoms, digital storytelling, complex cinema and more. Cass is also the deputy director of new cross-faculty research initiative MAGPIE (Melbourne Academic Games, Play and Interactive Entertainment) and a board member for DiGRA Australia, co-vice editor of journal Press Start, copyeditor for the Journal of Games Criticism and writer at Checkpoint Gaming.

The Forum Theatre is wheelchair-accessible and has accessible seating. Seating options such as aisle seats or seats close to an exit are also available.

Registration is free but capacity is strictly limited, so book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Enquiries:

Dr Janice Loreck: [email protected]

If you have any support requirements in order to participate fully, please contact us via [email protected].