From the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Va., the American Shakespeare Center’s (ASC) traveling troupe will perform Othello on Friday, Oct. 18.
Othello is part of the ASC’s 25th anniversary World’s Mine Oyster Tour, and is based on the tragedy written by Shakespeare in approximately 1604. The ASC follows the basic principles of Renaissance theatrical production with the set, costumes, lighting and music all being replicas of a performance during Shakespeare’s time. The play is a complex study of extremes that captures Shakespeare at the height of his creative power.
“I think Othello can be one of the greatest plays ever written when it’s performed by amazing actors using Shakespeare’s staging conditions,” adds Jim Warren, co- founder and artistic director for ASC. “More than anything, I want to let the exotic and visceral emotions breathe as clearly and as vividly as possible.”
The performance of Othello will be the opening event for the College’s annual Family Weekend, Oct. 18-20. It will start at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.), and families and the community are invited to attend the play in Smith Auditorium. If interested in attending, please arrive early to obtain desirable seats. Any questions, please email Brian Chalk, assistant professor of English, at
brian.chalk@manhattan.edu.
Manhattan College’s School of Arts and English department are co-sponsoring the performance of Othello.
To read more about Othello, visit the ASC’s website.