San Francisco's African-American Shakespeare Company closes its 15th season with an incendiary interpretation of William Shakespeare's OTHELLO. African-American Shakespeare Company Executive Director Sherri Young helms this modern take on love undone by jealousy, playing March 25 through April 18 (press opening: March 26) at the African American Art & Culture Complex in San Francisco. For tickets ($20-30) and more information, the public may call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.African-AmericanShakes.org. This production is part of the Shake-It-Up program and is supported by a special National Endowment for the Arts initiative with Arts Midwest's "Shakespeare for a New Generation."
African-American Shakespeare Company resets OTHELLO, one of The Bard's greatest tragedies, during a modern-day military tribunal in Iraq, where race and sexual politics become the driving force for jealousy and revenge. Told from three different viewpoints, the production recounts Othello and Desdemona's courtship, how and why they fell in love, her alleged flirtation with another man, and Othello's sudden turn against her, simultaneously from Othello, Desdemona, and Iago's perspectives. Which version of the truth, if any, is the real truth? With each testimony, a little more detail is revealed until it becomes clear that Iago has been the evil backbone behind it all.
William Shakespeare's OTHELLO is believed to have been written in 1603 and based upon the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" (A Moorish Captain) by Cinthio. The work revolves around Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army, his wife Desdemona, his lieutenant Cassio, and his trusted ensign Iago. The first documented performance occurred on November 1, 1604, at Whitehall Palace in London. One of the most famous American productions is
Margaret Webster's 1943 staging starring
Paul Robeson as Othello and
Jose Ferrer as Iago; it was the first production ever in the United States to feature a black actor playing Othello with an otherwise all white cast (there had been all black productions of the play before). Webster's version of the play ran for 296 performances, almost twice as long as any other Shakespearean play produced on Broadway.
Laurence Olivier's 1965 film version in which he played the title role (he also played the role in a wildly acclaimed performance at the
Royal National Theatre in 1964) still holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for acting ever given to a Shakespeare film. Notable recent productions of OTHELLO include the 1982 Broadway staging with
James Earl Jones as Othello and
Christopher Plummer as Iago (Plummer became the only actor to receive a Tony Award nomination for a performance in OTHELLO); the play opened at the
Donmar Warehouse in London in December 2007, directed by
Michael Grandage, featuring
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello and
Ewan McGregor as Iago, with Ejiofor winning the
Laurence Olivier Award for his performance.
African-American Shakespeare Company has assembled a talented ensemble for OTHELLO. Featured in the production are: Jeff Handy (Othello);
Vivian Kane (Desdemona); Sam Leichter (Michael Cassio); Aimee McCrary (Iago); and Meggy Hai Trang (Emilia).
African-American Shakespeare Company Executive Director Sherri Young helms this production of OTHELLO. An M.F.A. graduate from the
American Conservatory Theater, Young founded the African-American Shakespeare Company and has been its Executive Director since. She has directed 15 productions, produced and executed four programs for the organization, and speaks at various colleges, universities, and conferences across the nation; she hires and manages the 60 company members that perform productions throughout the Bay Area. In addition to her duties at African-American Shakespeare Company, Young is a commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco's Art Commission agency.
African-American Shakespeare Company was introduced in 1994 to create an opportunity and a venue for actors of color to hone their skills and talent in mastering some of the world's greatest classical roles. The company is dedicated to producing classic stage works from an African-American cultural perspective, providing opportunities and accessibility for minority artists and their communities to view these works in a manner that is inclusive of their cultural heritage. African-American Shakespeare Company has produced over 30 productions, toured to 97 schools, and reached over 105,000 patrons through its mainstage productions and arts education program.
WHERE: African American Art & Culture Complex
762 Fulton Street (at Webster), San Francisco, CA
TICKETS: For tickets ($20 student/seniors; $30 general) and information, the public can call 1-800-838-3006 or visit
www.African-AmericanShakes.org
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