Possible Clues:

• Classic Olivier role
• The Prince of Denmark
• Small settlement for Denmark
• Climbing tree to break cover in village play
• It's smaller than a village
• Source of the saying 'Brevity is the soul of wit'
• Village - tragedy
• ''To be or not to be'' speaker
• The tree comes up in a hat with few houses in 2 down
• '... heaven hath pleas'd it so, / To punish me ...' speaker