‘Othello’ performances set Oct. 3, 4

1:25 p.m., Sept. 22, 2003--The University of Delaware Performing Arts Series will open its 2003-04 season with Aquila Theatre Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s “Othello.”

The events are part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a national theatre touring initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Sallie Mae Fund, in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

Performances of “Othello” are scheduled at 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, and at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, in Mitchell Hall on the University’s Newark campus. In addition, a free public master class will be held at 2:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, in Bayard Sharp Hall, located at Elkton Road and West Delaware Avenue. All openings for workshop participants are filled, but observers are welcome.

Set in a hotbed of jealousy, hatred and mistrust, “Othello” is a classic tragedy that explores the destruction of a noble spirit. Through a complicated web of miscommunication, lies and deceit perpetrated by Iago, Othello is tricked into believing his wife, Desdemona, has been unfaithful to him. Othello murders her, though she continues to profess her innocence. When he realizes the truth, Othello takes his own life.

The Aquila Theatre Company has gained an international reputation as one of the foremost producers of touring theatre. Known for its high quality, inventive productions of classical drama, the company has earned critical and academic acclaim for its work worldwide, as it changes the perceptions of classic drama.

Aquila tours extensively throughout North America and Europe and is the company in residence at New York University’s Center for Ancient Studies.

Shakespeare in American Communities brings quality, professional theatre productions of Shakespeare and related educational activities to Americans in small and mid-sized communities throughout the country. This initiative represents the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history, reaching audiences in all 50 states with performances, artistic and technical workshops, symposia and educational programs.

The National Endowment for the Arts works to enrich the nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country.Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest enables individuals and families throughout America’s heartland to share in and enjoy the arts and cultures of the Midwest and the world.

Tickets for “Othello” are $17 for the general public, $12 for UD faculty, staff and alumni and senior citizens and $5 for full-time UD students and children of high school age or younger.

For ticket information, call the Hartshorn Hall box office at (302) 831-2204 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The University of Delaware Performing Arts series continues in November with the Deanna Witkowski Jazz Quartet, performing at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 14, in Mitchell Hall. Future programs and their dates include Urban Bush Women, Feb. 28; Masters of Mexican Music, March 14; and Turtle Island String Quartet, April 30.

UD’s 2003-04 Performing Arts Series is made possible, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to promoting and supporting the arts in Delaware. The series also is supported by Barba & Reynolds Insurance Agency and Embassy SuitesúNewark/Wilmington South.

For more information, go to [www.udel.edu/alumni/events/pas.html] or e-mail [performingarts@udel.edu].

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