Frantic Assembly presents its award-winning and electrifying take on Othello, Shakespeare’s tragedy of paranoia, sex, and murder, at York Theatre Royal from 18-22 October.
Othello’s passionate affair with Desdemona becomes the catalyst for jealousy, betrayal, revenge, and the darkest intents. Frantic Assembly takes Shakespeare’s muscular and beautiful text, combines its own bruising physicality, and presents an Othello firmly rooted in the volatile 21st century. This is a world of broken glass and broken promises, of poisonous manipulation and explosive violence.
As relevant today as it ever was, Othello exposes the tension, fear, and paranoia buried beneath the veneer of our relationships and how easily they can be maliciously exploited.
The Cast
Michael Akinsulire (Trigger Point, Stephen, both ITV) plays Othello, Joe Layton (The Unreturning, Frantic Assembly; Young Wallander, Netflix) plays Iago, Chanel Waddock (Rock, Paper, Scissors, Sheffield Crucible; Hamlet, National Theatre) plays Desdemona, Oliver Baines (I Like The Way You Move , Frantic Ignition 2019, Theatre Peckham) plays Montano, Tom Gill (Vigil, BBC; Britannia, Sky) plays Cassio, Felipe Pacheco (Brassic, Sky; The Responder, BBC) plays Roderigo, Hannah Sinclair Robinson (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, UK and Ireland Tour; Rockets, Blue Lights, both National Theatre) plays Bianca, Kirsty Stuart (I Think We Are Alone, Frantic Assembly; Call the Midwife, BBC) plays Emilia, and Matthew Trevannion (War Horse, National Theatre; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, West End) plays Brabantio.
Creative Team
Director Scott Graham
Designer Laura Hopkins
Original Lighting Design (2008 version) Natasha Chivers
Further Original Lighting Designs (2014 version) Andy Purves
Associate Lighting Designer (2022 version) Matt Whale
Sound Designer Gareth Fry
Associate Sound Designer Rob Parkinson
Music Hybrid
Casting Director Will Burton CDG
Associate Director David Gilbert
Co-Choreographer Perry Johnson
Five members of the Othello cast and creative team are past graduates of Frantic Assembly’s Ignition programme – Joe Layton (Iago, 2009), who grew up in Ilkley, Associate Director David Gilbert (2008), Co-Choreographer Perry Johnson (2012), Oliver Baines (Montano, 2019) and Felipe Pacheco (Roderigo, 2017), proving that Frantic Assembly is at the forefront of finding, developing, and providing opportunites for new talent from all over the UK.
Ignition is a free, nationwide talent development programme for young people aged 16-24. It seeks out underrepresented talent in unexpected places, playing a vital role in dismantling barriers that can prevent fresh perspectives from revitalising the Arts.
The production was originally a Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth collaboration, in association with Royal & Derngate Northampton and developed at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London. This updated version is a co-production with Curve Theatre Leicester.
Frantic Assembly’s other current and upcoming work includes Frantic Assembly STUDIO, an innovative new digital subscription platform for teaching drama in secondary schools launching in September and a thrilling new take on Kafka’s Metamorphosis to premiere and tour in 2023.
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Book your tickets now on yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
