Full Cast Set for Simon Godwin’s OTHELLO at Shakespeare Theatre Company Starring Wendell Pierce
Playing Othello’s foil Iago opposite Pierce will be Ben Turner.
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Shakespeare Theatre Company has revealed the full cast and creative team of Othello, directed by STC Artistic Director Simon Godwin and featuring Wendell Pierce in the titular role. Othello plays STC’s Harman Hall May 19–June 21.
Pierce is familiar to audiences because of his captivating performances on screen, including The Wire, Treme, and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, as well as CBS' Elsbeth and Starz' Raising Kanan, part of the Power franchise. His lengthy stage career has encapsulated both classic and modern works, from an early role at STC to a Tony Award-nominated turn in Death of a Salesman, the first Black actor to play Willy Loman on Broadway. Pierce will be honored with STC’s Will Award for Classical Theatre at the company’s annual All the World’s a Stage gala on April 13.
Playing Othello’s foil Iago opposite Pierce will be Ben Turner, who received a 2024 Helen Hayes for his role as Macduff in Godwin’s Macbeth featuring Ralph Fiennes, and made his D.C. debut in The Jungle in 2023.
Melanie Field (A League of Their Own), fresh from last season’s Uncle Vanya, will play Iago’s wife Emilia; and Lucas Iverson will play Cassio, the unwitting pawn in Iago’s plot. Following STC's Frankenstein, Iverson joined the cast for the second season of HBO’s The Pitt, now airing.
Making her STC debut as Othello’s bride Desdemona is Olivia Cygan, who was recently seen by D.C. audiences in the world premiere of Death on the Nile at Arena Stage, and was in the latest Broadway revival of Doubt with Liev Schreiber.
Other newcomers to STC are Joey Collins (To Kill a Mockingbird, Broadway tour, Bob Ewell), Giovanna Alcântara Drummond (Folger Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet), Derek Garza (Ford's Theatre, Studio Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival), D.C. local Vish Shukla, and Daniel Velez (Broadway’s Romeo + Juliet).
D.C. favorites returning to STC are Jon Beal, Cole Sitilides, James Whalen, and Em Whitworth, as well as esteemed STC regular Craig Wallace (Merry Wives, Uncle Vanya, King Lear, Our Town), who will understudy Othello.
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