An adaptation of Richard III in Fallout 76 will be taken to the big stage as a player-run troupe of actors prepares for theater production. The show even boasts a ghoul in the lead role.
The stage won’t be on Broadway or the West End though, as this production company performs exclusively online and within the multiplayer video game Fallout 76.
Actors and crew from The Wasteland Theatre Company come together from all over the world to perform live in player-built theaters.
Richard the Third, or Richard the Ghoul as the company writes on social media, has been inspired by the Amazon Prime Fallout TV series. While a specific date hasn’t yet been released, the play will go ahead in Spring.
We are HYPED to announce our #Fallout performances for 2024 ????☢️
⚔️ Richard the Third or "Richard the Ghoul" inspired by @falloutonprime
???? Hamlet
Two epic #Shakespeare tragedies performed *live* on-stage in #Fallout76!
Playbills below (beautiful art by @ShaneBaconstrip)???? pic.twitter.com/WbkZP1QsqX
— The Wasteland Theatre Company ????☢️ (@76Theatre) March 11, 2024
In a conversation with PC gaming publisher Rock Paper Shotgun, the artistic director, Northern Harvest, explains more: “We draw inspiration from Walton Goggins’ charismatic portrayal of ‘The Ghoul’ in the Fallout on Prime show: torn duster, badass attitude and all.
“Just imagine a post-apocalyptic ghoulified Laurence Olivier – that’s what we’re going for.”
The play will open with the line: “Now is the nuclear winter of our discontent.”
Shakespeare plays are performed to Fallout community
This isn’t the actor’s first rodeo in bringing the arts to the gaming community, with several other productions under their belt.
The company was founded in 2021 and has live streamed their versions of Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more. While they’ve racked up a following on social media, unsuspecting players could walk into the production at any point – especially with Fallout’s resurgence of fame following the launch of the show.
The director told the gaming site how the “Fallout 76 community is notoriously nice.”
“Since we performed our first show in 2021, we have had very few other players disrupt our productions. Most players who randomly come across our performances tend to sit down and watch in awe, walking away thinking ‘wait, did I just watch a Shakespeare play in Fallout?”
Featured Image: Via The Wasteland Theatre Company X Social Media
