Lantern Theater Company Presents William Shakespeare's OTHELLO

Lantern Theater Company continues its 2019/20 season with Othello, part of the company's ongoing commitment to produce the timeless stories of William Shakespeare for both the general public and local school students. Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon directs an ensemble cast that includes Lindsay Smiling as Othello, Trey Lyford as Iago, and Campbell O'Hare as Desdemona, with David Bardeen, Andrew Criss, Trevor William Fayle, Suli Holum, John Lopes, and Krystal Ortega. Theater critics and members of the press are invited to request press tickets for opening night on Wednesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. by contacting Anne Shuff at ashuff@lanterntheater.org. Othello runs Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, April 26, 2020; a complete schedule of performances and audience enrichment events is included in the fact sheet below.

"Othello is unusual in Shakespeare tragedies in that it is psychological forces that drive the action rather than external events," said Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon, who helms the production. "Iago is a character who perplexes literary and dramatic critics. His motivations for his actions seem implausible, not nearly equal to the enormity of the actions themselves. And yet the real world gives us countless examples of clever manipulators like Iago, who suddenly seem ready to burn down the world for the flimsiest of reasons. Othello himself is another kind of mystery, a self-made man who seems invincible, but whose self-assurance and decisiveness are transformed from his greatest strength into a devastating weakness. These two characters come together in a series of the most extraordinary dramatic scenes ever written."

McMahon will discuss his production team's artistic approach to creating Othello at In Conversation with Charles McMahon on Monday, March 24, 2020 at 5 p.m. The conversation will be hosted by the Independence Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, located at 18 S. 7th St. Admission is free.

Lantern Theater Company will also delve into the world of Othello on its Lantern Searchlight blog, available online at lanterntheater.org/searchlight. Published articles will explore Shakespeare's world of exceptional outsiders, the pathological psychology of Iago, Venice in Othello's time, the fascinating and barrier-breaking story of American actor Ira Aldridge, behind-the-scenes interviews with the Othello artists, and much more. New stories will be added throughout the production's run.

Tickets for Othello start at $28 and are available online at lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Discounts are available for students, seniors 65 and up, U.S. military personnel, and groups of 10 or more. All performances of Othello will take place at the Lantern's resident home at St. Stephen's Theater, 923 Ludlow St. in Center City Philadelphia.

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