Spotlight Reading: Desdemona

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Court’s Spotlight Reading Series aims to rediscover plays by writers of color largely missing from the American stage and absent from the traditional canon. Tickets are free.

Desdemona
by Toni Morrison
directed by Chris Anthony

Mon, Nov 8 at 6:30pm
Green Line Performing Arts Center, 329 E Garfield Blvd (map)

Written by acclaimed novelist Toni Morrison, Desdemona puts the doomed heroine of Shakespeare’s Othello center stage to reflect on the events of The Bard’s tragedy. Infused with song, this play exploring Desdemona’s relationship with her nursemaid adds a powerful, female perspective on the events and characters of Shakespeare’s play.

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Face mask and vaccine or negative COVID-19 test required.
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The Spotlight Reading series is made possible in part by a grant from

Cast

Barbary (Sa’ran)/Soun
TayLar
Desdemona
Amanda Drinkall
Othello
Kelvin Roston Jr.
Emilia/Cassio
Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel
Sound Assistant

Related Events

Through Dec 5 → The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice
Co-directors Charles Newell and Gabrielle Randle-Bent helm this theatrical examination of humanity and tragedy in Shakespeare’s fraught and famous work.

Oct 23 → Othellos in Dialogue
Join Production Dramaturg Jocelyn Prince for this conversation about how actors have approached portraying the character of Othello on stage. Featuring Court favorites Allen Gilmore and Kelvin Roston, Jr. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance.

Dec 17, 18 → Mirrors and Misconceptions
Mirrors and Misconceptions pairs the visual art of Fred Wilson’s Murano Glass sculpture, Act V. Scene II Exeunt Omnes—the final stage direction in Shakespeare’s Othello—with Court Theatre’s production of The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice to build conversation and community while exploring themes on how Blackness is othered and perceived.