Desdemona (play)
 First edition | |
| Author | Toni Morrison |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Play |
| Publisher | Oberon Books |
Publication date | 19 July 2012 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 64 pp (Paperback edition) |
| ISBN | 978-1-849-43389-1 (Paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 808600872 |
Desdemona is a play by Toni Morrison. It was first produced in Vienna in May 2011.[1] The title character of the play is Desdemona, the wife of the title character in Shakespeare's Othello. The 2011 play arose from a collaboration between Morrison, director Peter Sellars, and musician Rokia Traoré, and revolves around Desdemona's relationship with the African nurse who raised her.[2][3][4][5][6]
It marks at least the third time a modern female playwright has written a play with Shakespeare's Desdemona as the main character. There is also Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief (1993) by Paula Vogel and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (1988) by Ann-Marie MacDonald. All three plays could be construed as feminist takes on Shakespeare, but otherwise have highly divergent interpretations of the character of Desdemona.
The official playscript of Desdemona was published in 2012 by Oberon Books, with a foreword written by the director Peter Sellars.
Performances
- May 15, 17-21, 2011 - Theater Akzent - Vienna, Austria[7]
- May 26–29, 2011 - Theatre Royal Flamand (KVS) - Brussels, Belgium[8]
- October 13–21, 2011 - Nanterre-Amandiers theatre, Nanterre, France
- October 26–29, 2011 - Zellerbach Playhouse, Berkeley, United States[9]
- November 2–3, 2011 - Rose Theater - New York, United States[10]
- November 10–12, 2011 - Haus der Berliner Festspiele - Berlin, Germany[11]
- July 2012 - Barbican Centre - London, England[12][13]
- November 2013 - Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts: School of Drama - Kingston, Jamaica
- October 16–19, 2015 - Southbank Theatre, Melbourne, Australia[14]
References
- ↑ Sciolino, Elaine (25 October 2011). "'Desdemona' Talks Back to 'Othello'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
- ↑ Barchfield, Jenny (14 October 2011). "Oppressed voices ring out in Morrison's 'Othello'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ↑ Swed, Mark (28 October 2011). "Music theater review: Peter Sellars' 'Desdemona' at Berkeley". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ↑ Winn, Steven (20 October 2011). "Toni Morrison adds twist to 'Desdemona'". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ↑ Serinus, Jason Victor (26 October 2011). "Desdemona's Riveting Multi-Dimensional Truths". Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ↑ Thiessen, Erin Russell (26 May 2011). "Toni Morrison's Desdemona delivers a haunting, powerful "re-membering"". Retrieved 2011-10-20.
- ↑ "Theater Akzent - Vienna, Austria".
- ↑ "Theatre Royal Flamand (KVS) - Brussels, Belgium".
- ↑ "Zellerbach Playhouse, Berkeley, United States".
- ↑ "Rose Theater - New York, United States".
- ↑ "Haus der Berliner Festspiele - Berlin, Germany".
- ↑ "Barbicon Centre - London, England".
- ↑ http://bloggingshakespeare.com/year-of-shakespeare-desdemona
- ↑ "Melbourne Festival 2015".