DECEMBER 4

Back before his films of Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing catapulted him to international fame, Kenneth Branagh was a London stage tyro with chutzpah enough to tell the RSC he’d only take leading roles. Evidently, they didn’t give him enough, because he soon founded his own Renaissance Theater Company and enticed some of London’s leading thespians into staging its shows. In 1988, when Derek Jacobi agreed to direct Branagh in Hamlet, the buzz was strong enough that D.C. filmmaker Mark Olshaker decided to chronicle the four-week rehearsal period, from first read-through to opening night. The result—Discovering Hamlet, an hourlong PBS documentary narrated by Patrick Stewart—will be shown and discussed at a question-and-answer session featuring Olshaker and Shakespeare Guild president John F. Andrews. At 7:30 p.m. at the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Hammer Auditorium, 17th & New York Ave. NW. $12. For reservations call (202) 347-3601. (Bob Mondello)