NEWSLETTER
Limited Engagement Runs June 16 - 28 at the Abrons Arts Center
New York, N.Y. - Take a thrilling journey back to 1570s Venice in Atlas Shakespeare Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s Othello, performed at the Underground Theater at Abrons Arts Center in Lower Manhattan. Opening night is slated for Wednesday, June 17th at 6:30, and performances run through June 28. Adriana Alter, Atlas’s co-founder and Artistic Director, directs the fast-paced production.
After concluding its ambitious inaugural season, which comprised Henry VI, Parts 1 & 2, Henry VI, Part 3, and Richard III, Atlas is kicking off its second year with another bold production. Othello features an ensemble of ten actors, most of whom have previously worked with Atlas.
Atlas Shakespeare Company's mission is to present Shakespeare's plays as they were intended to be performed: character-driven, intensely alive, and profoundly human. Like all Atlas productions, Othello uses the play’s original setting, and is intended to be engaging and accessible for everyone.
Director Adriana Alter discussed the upcoming production: “We chose Othello because we’re lucky enough to have the perfect cast for it—which, for a close-knit company with a character-driven approach to the plays, is the most important determining factor! As a result of their previous work together, our actors are positioned to bring unusual depth and nuance to their portrayal of the various relationships that drive the plot.”
“Othello is best known as a cautionary tale about jealousy; we’re tackling those themes, of course, but we’re also hoping to show audiences how much else there is to discover. By firmly rooting the story in its original historical context, we’re able to explore the implications of various forms of outsider status in a performatively tolerant society. And, as with all of our productions, we’re committed to helping all of our audience members—from first-time theatergoers to Shakespeare experts—fully experience the play as it was written: an intense, fast-paced, often shocking piece of popular entertainment.”
Outside the gilded bubble of Venice, in a liminal no-man’s-land halfway between peace and war, a storm is coming. Shakespeare’s unsettling psychological drama plunges us into a nightmare landscape where everything precious is poisoned and trust is a deadly misstep. Shore up your weak spots—if you know where they are. It’s already too late to turn back.
The Othello cast includes J.B. Alexander, Ethan Baker, Charlotte Blacklock, Gabe Girson, Clayton Hamburg, Maya Koshaba, Ryan Molloy, Patrick Robinson, Leah Schwartz, and William Oliver Watkins as Othello.
The creative team includes Nicholas Grevera (lighting design), Everi Osofsky (costume design), and Paul Schack (fight choreography). Produced by Alexander Nero, Atlas’s co-founder and Executive Director.
Othello runs June 16 - June 28, Tuesday - Saturday at 6:30pm, Saturday - Sunday at 1pm, at the Underground Theater at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street at Pitt Street, NYC, NY 10002. There will be no performance on June 19. Running time: 3 hours (plus intermission). Tickets are $21.80 (children), $28.04 (students/seniors), and $34.28 (general) and are available at www.abronsartscenter.org/programs/atlas-othello.
BIOGRAPHIES
Adriana Alter (director) is the co-founder and artistic director of Atlas Shakespeare Company. She holds advanced degrees in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (Columbia University) and Shakespeare Studies (King’s College London, in association with the Globe Theatre). Her extensive theatrical credits include work with Two Good Dogs Productions, the Secret Theatre, Hip to Hip Theatre Company, the Riant Theatre, Chelsea Rep/The Acting Studio, Identity Theater Company/Nicu’s Spoon Theater Company, Royal Family Productions, and Hartford Stage, among others.
Atlas Shakespeare Company was founded in a spirit of exploration and discovery, with the mission of transporting audiences to brave new worlds by presenting vivid, inclusive productions. In a world in which Shakespeare's work is all-too-often regarded as highbrow, stuffy, or inaccessible, Atlas aims to reintroduce the public to the plays as they were intended to be experienced: fast-paced, character-driven, intensely relatable dramas that explore universal themes. www.atlasshakespearecompany.com - www.instagram.com/atlasshakespeare
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Pictured: Charlotte Blacklock as Desdemona and William Oliver Watkins as Othello. Photo by Mercedes Wilby