IRISH-ETHIOPIAN ACTOR RUTH Negga is set to star in a new production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Dublin’s Gate Theatre.

Negga will play the title role in the upcoming production, which is directed by Yaël Farber.

Negga was born in Ethiopia to an Irish mother and an Ethiopian father. She spent her first years in Ethiopia before moving to Ireland and growing up in Limerick.

She has appeared in a number of movies and TV shows throughout the years. In 2017 Negga was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 2016 film, Loving.

Negga also appeared in RTÉ’s Love/Hate, the 2016 movie Warcraft and recently has played Tulip O’Hare in the TV series Preacher, among other roles.

Hamlet – one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays – tells the story of a young Danish prince seeking revenge for the murder of his father.

While the role is typically filled by a male actor, many famous female actors have taken up the mantle of the prince (or princess, depending on the production) over the decades.

“Ruth Negga’s profound gifts as an artist, combined with her meticulously observed and felt sense of the world around her, hold the promise for a Hamlet I believe most needed now,” director Yaël Farber said.

The production will run for six weeks from 21 September 21 2018 as part of the 2018 Dublin Theatre Festival.

Negga will be joined by Fiona Bell, Gavin Drea, Nick Dunning , Aoife Duffin, Mark Huberman, Gerard Kelly, Conor Madden, Barry McKiernan, Owen Roe and Gerard Walsh among others.