Match: Lit Presents OTHELLO at The Access Theater Gallery
By: Liz Cearns Sep. 13, 2016
This fall, New York's budding Shakespeare company Match: Lit will present William Shakespeare's arguably most tragic work, Othello. The production is directed by Anaïs Koivisto and produced by Match: Lit's Artistic Director, Kristin Sgarro. The production will open Friday, October 28 and close Sunday, November 6.
The intimate production uses only eight actors and focuses directly on the relationships at the heart of the text. Staged in the round, the play moves fluidly in and about the audience, drawing them into the action and raising questions about the complicity we all bear in acts of racial and domestic violence.
"Othello feels astonishingly contemporary in its exploration of both racism and domestic abuse," says director Anaïs Koivisto. "It's a play in which the personal and political are inextricably linked and one which allows us to reflect on the most destructive facets of human nature. This play is lastingly powerful because it holds a mirror up to our society, and gives us a chance to looks at elements of human nature which we ordinarily keep hidden. It's a reflection that has never been more necessary than it is now."
Rising quickly as a Shakespeare entity in New York City, Match: Lit began in 2015 with an unprecedented light and airy version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. They subsequently marched into 2016 with a 1980s-inspired Taming of the Shrew, which quickly netted twice as many sales as their first production.
"When we think about Shakespeare, it is incredibly tempting to think these stories don't apply 400 years later," says Artistic Director, Kristin Sgarro. "But I think Match: Lit's success derives from the fact that our primary objective is to make this text accessible. The company and guest directors do brilliant work. And the audience sees it-that we are not here to perform for only Shakespeare-philes, but we are here for anyone and everyone who needs us."
Tickets are $18 and available online at http://matchlitothello.bpt.me.
Match: Lit presents William Shakespeare's Othello
October 28-November 6, 2016
The Access Theater Gallery (380 Broadway, Fourth Floor)
Directed by Anaïs Koivisto
Produced by Match: Lit
With Ty Baumann*, Mike Labbadia, Woodrow Proctor, Nick Ritacco*, Aryana Sedarati, Kristin Sgarro*, Julian Thomas, and Claire Tyers* (*member of Match: Lit Ensemble)
Tickets: http://matchlitothello.bpt.me
Website: www.matchlit.org
More Information: Kristin Sgarro, Artistic Director
Email: matchlittheatre@gmail.com
FULL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, 10/26 @ 8pm - Preview
Thursday, 10/27 @ 8pm - Preview
Friday, 10/28 @ 8pm
Saturday, 10/29 @ 8pm
Sunday, 10/30 @ 8pm
Thursday, 11/3 @ 8pm
Friday, 11/4 @ 8pm
Saturday, 11/5 @ 8pm
Sunday, 11/6 @ 8pm
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