04 Feb LOOK AHEAD: Othello at the Rose Playhouse
Pamela Schermann – Director
Gillian Steventon – Costume designer
Petr Vocka – Lighting designer
Philip Matejtschuk – Sound designer
Theresa Schwarzkopf – Assistant director
Robert Piwko – Images
Cast:
Othello – James Barnes
Iago – Trevor Murphy
Desdemona – Samantha Lock
Emilia – Ella Duncan
Cassio – Denholm Spurr
Returning to The Rose Playhouse after their acclaimed production of The Taming of the Shrew in 2013 and the opera Orpheus and Eurydice in 2014, Time Zone Theatre presents a new, contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello. Director Pamela Schermann transfers the action to the cityscape of modern London. Here, in this high-flying executive business world, we dive into an abyss of power and intrigue, riddled with suspicion and jealousy. Beneath the surface of this civilised and polite environment we encounter brutality and callousness.
“One of the things that inspired me was the tragic death of an intern at the London office of the Bank of America a year ago”, says Schermann. “He died after working continuously for 72 hours. Although it is uncertain whether his death was caused by exhaustion or a medical condition, the excessive hours at work illustrate a brutal business practice, where money is more important than people, and where success at any cost is all that matters.”
This fast-paced adaptation cuts Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello down to its five main characters and focuses on their relationship with each other. The entire play is set in the meeting room of the company’s office. Everyone is under constant surveillance, private and business lives entwine, workers are caught in a bubble without privacy or time off outside the Corporation. There’s always someone watching you, analysing your every move and waiting for an opportunity to stab you in your back.
In an intriguing and exciting move, this modern adaptation of Othello will be playing at The Rose Playhouse, a theatre dating back to 1587, where it is said that Shakespeare himself learnt his craft. The theatre was only rediscovered in 1989 during excavations for the re-development of an office block, but it reopened as a performance space – albeit much changed since its Elizabethan heyday – in 2007. In its current form, the Rose Playhouse is an indoor archaeological site, with inches of water covering the original foundations to prevent the ground from developing major cracks. So with no heating, and the nearest toilets next door at The Globe, it is advisable to dress layer up and come prepared. But what an amazing backdrop!
Venue: The Rose Playhouse
Dates: 3rd – 28th February 2015
For tickets and information: www.timezonetheatre.com