Next week Everyman Theatre Company gives you the opportunity to look at one of Shakespeare’s most tragic heroines in a completely different light. Paula Vogel's exciting and controversial play Desdemona will be performed in Chapter Arts Centre's Studio from Tuesday 4th to Saturday 8th April at 8pm.Othello kills his wife Desdemona in a fit of jealously and rage but what if Desdemona was not the innocent victim but, in fact, the unfaithful strumpet of Iago’s report? A glimpse into the private back chamber of Othello’s palace on Cyprus, writer Paula Vogel presents a re-imagined Desdemona full of bawdy tales of conquest and sexual experience. Director Hannah O’Leary relished the opportunity to produce a play that challenges our preconceptions of traditional Shakespearian characters: “I wanted to work on a piece which focused on women and I also wanted to work with a small cast, giving everyone involved an opportunity to develop and have their own ideas and input into what happened in the rehearsal room. Desdemona was the perfect choice for all of these elements, and also to revisit familiar characters and themes in a new and not so familiar way. ” Dark and tongue-in-cheek, Desdemona gives voice to the previously muted women in Shakespeare’s Othello and raises serious questions as to the role and depiction of women throughout cultural history. Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief is performed by Everyman Theatre Company in Y Stiwdio/The Studio, Chapter Arts Centre from Tues 4th April – Sat 8th April 2006. Tickets can be bought from Chapter box office on 029 2030 4400 or www.chapter.org. Tickets cost £8 or £6 for concessions (selected performances only). [Desdemona is a promenade performance and the audience are encouraged to move around the space during the performance. There will be limited seating available for those who need it.] |
| Everyman Theatre web site: |
| Caroline Hurley e-mail: Caroline.hurley@wmc.org.uk |
Monday, April 3, 2006 |
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