Shakespeare in LA

From the company that brought you a cross-gender cast Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew as a BDSM love story, comes a provocative Othello – a theatrical exploration of outsiders and obsessions.

For director Carly D. Weckstein, Othello is one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most uncomfortable tragedies. It not only includes deep racism and misogyny but is often accused of sexualizing and glorifying domestic violence–an apparently odd choice for a progressive and “sex-positive” theater company. But for Weckstein, the fact that Othello remains deeply disturbing is the reason to stage it. In talking about her motivation to direct the play, she argues “racism, misogyny, jealousy and domestic violence are tragedies that happen every day. If we actually want to heal what is damaging in our world, we must confront what most upsets us and that means coming face to face with our own demons.” 

The Illyrian Players have taken their signature ensemble-based approach to exploring this tragedy with a cast of eleven actors: five of whom play the five primary characters, and six who create a Masked Chorus, doubling as all other characters.

Featured in the cast are Zach Brown (Othello), Zack Hamra (Iago), Katelyn Myer (Desdemona), Gerard Marzilli (Michael Cassio), and Angela Sauer (Emilia) and in The Masked Chorus: Richard Abraham (Brabantio/Gratiano), Maggie Blake  (Clown/Duke), Cameron Daxon (Roderigo). Luis Ordaz (Montano), Emma Servant (Bianca), and Micah Watterson (Lodovico).

OTHELLO
Oct. 31 – Nov. 22, 2014
Fridays and Saturdays 8:00 pm
Elephant Space at Theatre Asylum
6322 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90038
Click Here for tickets ($20)
The Friday, Nov. 7 performance is Pay-What-You-Can
www.illyrianplayers.com