It’s an auspicious year to be staging the works of Shakespeare
|||Latoya Newman
THE popular Think Theatre’s critically acclaimed schools production of William Shakespeare’s Othello began its 2016 tour on Friday in Hilton in the KZN Midlands.
The production will soon travel to Durban, Gauteng and Pretoria, taking the Bard on the road for a few months.
But this is a special year for the cast of the Othello as they, along with the world, commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death – April 23, 1616.
Director Clare Mortimer, who previously worked as an English teacher, said there has been no other writer in the English language who has had such an impact and continues to do so.
“I think a lot of the reasons for that are that he wrote human stories. The actual set up for the stories – be it Scotland, be it Venice, be it wherever – and even the plots of the stories were insignificant compared to what he was trying to say about people, about human nature. So he constructed a set-up or a plot to show a human story. And I think it is that that makes his works so universal and still so relevant.”
Mortimer, who is also an acclaimed actress and writer, added that she has not come across any greater writer than the Bard.
“A lot of very great writers, and writers whom I admire enormously, over the years of history, speak more about situations, in a sense. Be it a war or a socio-political crisis, and the characters fit into those stories.
“Shakespeare has never done that. For that reason his understanding of the human psyche is incredibly evolved. And that’s why once we have finished deciding that the language isn’t too difficult, because really it isn’t, we come out with these stories that apply over and over again in all countries, in all languages in the world.”
Durban Theatre Award winner, Nhlakanipho Manqele, reprises his title role, with Cara Roberts returning as his Desdemona. The rest of the cast, headed by Clinton Small (Iago) and Mortimer (Emilia), again features Michael Gritten, Marc Kay, Bryan Hiles, Rowan Bartlett and Darren King. Sarah Richard makes her role debut as Bianca.
“Bianca isn’t the largest role in the world, but it requires a certain amount of spirit and energy. We needed someone who is easy to work with, who is reliable and who has the chops to get the role done and she ticks all those boxes,” said Mortimer.
Producer Margie Coppen said they are driven by the response from teachers and pupils alike.
“Not only is this for many students the first time they have ever been in a theatre, but it also assists their understanding of the play in a profound way.
“A lot of our students aren’t English home language speakers – be they Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa – but it’s always so wonderful to see how easily they interpret the play and can relate to it.”
Othello plays at the Hilton College Theatre until Friday before returning to the Playhouse Drama stage in Durban from Monday to March 18. It then stages across KZN, Gauteng and Pretoria until May.
See “Thinktheatre’s Othello” on Facebook, or keep up to date with the latest production news at #ThinkTheatreOthello on Facebook and Twitter.
Book your tickets with Doreen Stanley by calling her at 033 343 4884 or 084 556 0668 or e-mail her at doreen@ thinktheatre.co.za.