Actors' Shakespeare Project Closes the Curtain on OTHELLO, 4/4

Actors' Shakespeare Project will end its run of Othello, directed by Judy Braha, on April 4th at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, 85 W. Newton Street, Boston (formerly the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center) in the South End.

Often called Shakespeare's most intimate tragedy, Othello is a timely play of race, politics, and the marriage bed. In A.S.P.'s modern production, Othello's story resonates strongly with all too familiar media headlines. A young public figure on the political rise, and esteemed general in the service of Venice, Othello has recently wed Desdemona, the daughter of a senator. When he promotes Michael Cassio to be his lieutenant, the brilliant, politically ambitious, and passed over Iago is enraged and plots revenge. Othello aspires to belong to Desdemona's world and instead becomes victim to its bigotry and his own inner demons through Iago's keen psychological manipulation.

A.S.P. Resident Company Member Jason Bowen plays the title role, Ken Cheeseman returns to play Iago, and newcomer Brooke Hardman plays Desdemona. A.S.P. Resident Company Members Paula Langton, Doug Lockwood, Bobbie Steinbach, & Michael Forden Walker, are joined by Olivia Hendrick, Cloteal Horne, Matt Ketai, Sydney Lemmon and Denise Marie to round out the cast.

Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, where A.S.P. staged its 2005 production of Measure for Measure, is a suggestive space for the production. Once a church, now a dance hall, the venue mixes traditional and modern elements, and features a sweeping staircase appropriate to the political stage, while also creating an intimate atmosphere to feed the feeling of a personal, bedroom drama. In typical A.S.P. fashion, the production will include significant project work including an Open Rehearsal, a Community Night performance, education residencies in Charlestown High School and the Department of Youth Services, and an Othello Conversations Panel. Home to elegant Victorian brick row houses and one of the most diverse populations in Boston, the South End blends many of the best elements of the city. Some of Boston's finest dining can be found lining Tremont Street and the arts shine throughout the neighborhood. For more information on the production or the project elements, visit www.actorsshakespeareproject.org.

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