Rhodes University presents Moor, directed by Masters Student Jess Harrison, adapted from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice and inspired by international playwright and dramaturge Charles Marowitz.
Rhodes University presents Moor, directed by Masters Student Jess Harrison, adapted from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice and inspired by international playwright and dramaturge Charles Marowitz.
Moor is based on the black consciousness writings of Frantz Fanon, Eldridge Cleaver, Malcolm X, Steve Biko and W E B du Bois and compiled by the director and cast.
It presents an invigorating revisiting of the classical text through subverting language and character.
Unexpected and shocking motives fuel the insidious mental poison that Iago administers to catalyse Othello’s demise through his brutal murder of Desdemona.
Provocative and complex questions of race and gender underpin the rich and sordid narrative, textured by the fusion of contemporary English, isiXhosa and Shakespearean text.
This visceral theatrical experience is played out through an opulent visual aesthetic and heightened performance style, weaving a rich tapestry of intrigue, humour and horror.
Moor plays at the National Arts Festival on 1 July at 5.30pm in the Rehearsal Room at the 1820 Settlers Monument.
