Evento

The Othello Papers - Workshop Series

Othello, tired of being the only black person in his literary world, invites other Black Shakespeare characters to discuss issues and challenges of how they are and have been portrayed to the world. Othello begins the First Annual Convention for Black Shakespearean Characters. His guests include Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt; Aaron the Moor; the Prince of Morocco; and Caliban. The characters meet and chaos ensues. Caliban, feeling disrespected by Othello, boycotts the convention because he has been delegated to the role of servitude. Othello is trying to contact other black Shakespearean characters via cell phone but his search is continuously interrupted by the disappearance and reappearances of Desdemonas handkerchief. Cleopatra falls in love with everybody and tries to get the guys to learn a choreographed synchronized swimming routine. When an uninvited guest appears, he brings order to the convention, and the characters are challenged to unite and write their own playa play where the black Shakespearean community presents to the world an excavation of their ancestry and global contribution to the planet.

The African-American Shakespeare Company's Workshop Series are performances in development, with a limited running engagement and production aesthetics. The series is an opportunity for the artistic team to develop performances, concepts, and engage the audience in dialogue.