About The Production

The Shakespeare Company is Calgary’s lean and mean classical theatre company, highlighting the best of the Bard in all his comedy, tragedy, and bawdiness. Founded in 1995, by Richard Kenyon and LuAnne Morrow, TSC has brought the Bard alive for Calgarians through both Shakespeare and Shakespeare inspired plays. They are committed to making Shakespeare accessible through innovative performances and inspired directing. Alongside mainstage productions, TSC’s community initiatives are: Page to Stage Outreach Program and DiVerseCity.

Hit & Myth Productions is a professional independent theatre company based in Calgary, Alberta. Hit & Myth was established in 2006, and since that time has produced over 30 professional shows, engaging numerous local actors, directors and designers.

Ahad Raza Mir, Hamlet

Ahad Raza Mir is a Pakistani-born, Calgary-raised actor, producer, singer, and writer. He is the son of Asif Raza Mir, a veteran actor, and producer in the Pakistani film and television industry. Ahad’s breakthrough role in the romantic drama Yaqeen Ka Safar (2017) won him the Lux Style Award for Best Actor as well as the Hum Award for Best Actor. In 2018, he made his film debut with Parwaaz Hay Junoon followed by Aangan. Later in the year, he debuted as a featured artist in the eleventh season of Coke Studio

The Shakespeare Company, in a joint production with Vertigo Theatre, presented a successful run of Hamlet: A Ghost Story, also starring Ahad Raza Mir, at Calgary’s Vertigo Theatre in 2019. He was the first South Asian actor to play the role professionally in Canada. For his performance, he won the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama.

Haysam Kadri, Director

Haysam Kadri has been with The Shakespeare Company since 2012 and has worked to elevate its main stage productions and outreach programs in Calgary. A graduate of the Birmingham Conservatory for classical training at the Stratford Festival, Haysam spent six seasons as a company member with the Stratford Festival. He has worked extensively as a Theatre Arts instructor with Red Deer College, Mount Royal University, and the University of Calgary. Haysam is an actor, director, fight choreographer, and teacher. Since 2012, The Shakespeare Company has enjoyed countless nominations and awards under his leadership.