Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents the 12th annual Whatever Theater Festival, featuring a production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet on Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3 at 8 p.m. The production will be staged outdoors on Franklin Town Common. Performances are free of charge, with donations to FPAC gratefully accepted.

One of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, the play is set in Denmark where the ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet.  FPAC presents a 90-minute adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tale, as “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!”

Conceived and directed by Nick Paone, the summertime Whatever Theater Festival brings together professional artists, FPAC alumni, students and community performers in a collaborative theatrical experience.