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The actor who was really stabbed on stage NewsColony Image copyright Conor Madden When he was cast as Hamlet at age 24, Conor Madden thought his stage career was about to take off – but then an accident during a sword-fighting scene left him with serious injuries. No-one knew whether he would ever act again. A piercing silence filled the theatre as Conor lay on the floor of the stage, listening to his surroundings. His body was frozen. He knew he was hurt. Despite his youth, Conor had been playing the lead role in a modern production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet – a role usually given to established actors a decade older than him. It was a huge honour. The cast had already performed the play many times, but they had just moved to a new theatre in a different city. Conor remembers the clang of a metal sword falling to the floor beside him, and a fellow actor cradling him and asking, “Are you OK?” The 800-strong audience remained still, assuming this was part of the play. Then the ...