Segal Centre's 2013-14 Season to Continue with OTHELLO, 11/17-12/1

By: Oct. 23, 2013
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Keeping with its theme of passion and power, the Segal Centre's 2013-2014 Season continues with William Shakespeare's Othello, in association with Montreal's Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre. Directed by Scapegoat co-Artistic Director, Alison Darcy, this imaginative new production of Shakespeare's psychological masterpiece of love and betrayal stars Andrew Moodie, Sean Arbuckle and Amanda Lisman. Othello runs in the Segal Theatre for a limited engagement from November 17th to December 1st, 2013.

Othello, the Moor of Venice has been named General of the Venetian Army - earning him the love of the beautiful Desdemona and the secret resentment of his closest advisor, Iago. Reason and emotion clash as the ambitious Iago preys on Othello's greatest vulnerability, his love for Desdemona.

"With a little web as this, will I ensnare a great fly..."

Against a backdrop of war between Venice and Turkey in the late 16th Century, an era of great exploration and exoticism, Shakespeare paints a spine-tingling mind game played out between three central characters: noble moor and military hero Othello, his ensign Iago, and Othello's new wife Desdemona. Passed over for the position of army Lieutenant, the bitter Iago takes Othello, and the audience, on a trip to the darkest depths of humanity. Lies, betrayal, manipulation... nothing is out of bounds for one of literature's most fascinating villains.

Described by scholar A.C. Bradley as "the most painfully exciting and the most terrible" of Shakespeare's tragedies, Othello moves into the 21st century with ease due to its universal themes and haunting examination of human emotions, a logical choice for Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre's first foray onto the Segal Centre Main Stage. Winner of nine Montreal English Theatre Awards (METAs), this Montreal-based independent company specializes in bold adaptations from the classical repertoire (Life is a Dream, Medea, The Bacchae, Faust).

Director Alison Darcy explains her attraction to the play: "I am absolutely compelled by the powerful psychological portrait of evil. The human condition is so beautifully examined - racism, competition, sexual jealousy, obsession, idealization, self-worth... it is a tremendous work. "

For her Segal Main Stage directorial debut, Darcy has assembled an impressive ten-person cast composed of stage veterans and Montreal favourites. In the title role, award-winning stage actor and playwright Andrew Moodie is pit against admired Shakespearian actor Sean Arbuckle as the conniving Iago. Having performed as Colm Feore's Roxane in the Stratford Festival production of Cyrano de Bergerac, Amanda Lisman completes the triangle as Desdemonda. The trio joins an excellent company of the city's best including Daniel Brochu, Marcel Jeannin, Julie Tamiko Manning, Paul Hopkins, and Gitanjali Jain. Daniel Lillford and Maurice Podbrey, founding Artistic Director of Centaur Theatre, top up the multi-talented ensemble.

Dramaturged by Scapegoat Carnivale co-Artistic Director and playwright Joseph Shragge (Heretics of Bohemia, The Bacchae, Medea), this fast-paced production marks the first work by Shakespeare presented at the Segal in over ten years.

"We have chosen a classical interpretation of the play, maintaining the richness and complexity of the language, while emphasizing the clarity and rapid pace of the story," explains Darcy.

Recognized for their authentic, visceral and at times unruly aesthetic, Scapegoat's traditional interpretation is paired with a distinctly contemporary, elemental design by Véronique Bertrand (Set and Costumes) and Nicolas Descôteaux (Lighting). Sound designer David Oppenheim signs an eerie classical soundscape inspired by the great Italian Renaissance composer, Monteverdi.



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