American Shakespeare Center’s Othello to be available to Virginia Tech community
October 1, 2020
If truth has lost its meaning, how long can love survive? Evil is everywhere in Othello, Shakespeare’s great tragedy of racism and jealousy, as love is destroyed by envy and fact twisted by innuendo.
That description of Shakespeare’s 1603 masterpiece comes from the American Shakespeare Center, a repertory theatre that illuminates the plays of the Bard and his contemporaries, classic and new, from its home in the Blackfriars Playhouse of Staunton, Virginia.
The Virginia Tech Department of English is now sponsoring access to the American Shakespeare Center’s critically acclaimed production of Othello. This opportunity is available to anyone in the Virginia Tech community. An access link to a recorded version of the production will be available starting October 17. The link will expire on October 23.
On October 23, Katharine Cleland, an assistant professor of English, will hold a Zoom discussion of the production from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
“Othello is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, and, within our current historical moment, it is perhaps his most important,” said Cleland. “The play raises questions about issues — such as race, religion, gender, war, and immigration — that remain urgently relevant today. Jessika D. Williams’ groundbreaking performance as Othello further complicates and challenges the play’s original treatment of these issues.
“Thanks to the American Shakespeare Center, we can experience this great performance from the safety of our own homes,” Cleland added. “I hope everyone in the Virginia Tech community takes advantage of this opportunity.”
To receive the link and register for the discussion, sign up by October 16. (You do not have to register for the discussion to receive the access link.)