Othello (Ken Dembo), Desdemona (Brittney Hancock) and Iago (John Bruner) appear in the TRT poster for Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice.

Othello (Ken Dembo) stands over the prone body of Iago (John Bruner) in a rehearsal scene for Othello.

Roderigo (JJ Hawkins) and Iago (John Bruner) rehearse a scene in Othello as director John Duncan looks on.

THE TRAGEDY OF OTHELLO
THE MOOR OF VENICE

February 17-March 11
Thursday-Saturday @ 7:30, Sunday @ 2:00
Friday, February 24th is sold out--Sorry
For reservations call 503-312-6789
Tickets: $15 general admission/$10 students or seniors

so much depends
upon
a white hand-
kerchief
embroidered with a straw
berry
in the hands of a jealous
subordinate

Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice is, of the bard’s four great tragedies, the most sensuous, the most emotionally complex, and in many ways the most violently emotional. Twilight Repertory Theatre brings this great play to Portland in a new production starring Drammy Award winning actor Ken Dembo as Othello, Brittney Hancock as Desdemona, and John Bruner as Iago (pictured in the poster).

"It is daunting to take on one of Shakespeare's great tragedies. One always feels history peering over one's shoulder. Were it not for the cast we had available, I doubt that I would have tried it. But as I began to read the play over and over again and to read about past productions, I realized that the most important thing about Othello is simply that it is a story of love, jealousy, and innocence betrayed. If a production can capture the raw emotion of those feelings, then it will connect with an audience. And that is what we have tried to do. We have trimmed the script down, removing unnecessary characters and dialogue to focus on the powerful emotions of the characters, in their joy, in their anger, and sometimes in their foolishness. We were suprised at how much humor we found in the script and also at how much action the story involved. This is a sleeker, more active, hopefully more powerful Othello. We hope you enjoy it."
John Duncan, director

Cast of Othello

Othello -- Ken Dembo
Desdemona -- Brittney Hancock
Iago -- John Bruner
Cassio -- Danny Fishback
Emilia -- Arleen Daugherty
Roderigo -- JJ Hawkins
Bianca / Senator -- Elizabeth Neal
Duchess of Venice / Montano -- Andrea Gulley
Lodovico -- Annie Hughes
Brabantio / Gratiano -- John Duncan

Crew for Othello

Director -- John Duncan
Stage Manager -- Julia Meek
Set Design -- John Duncan
Lighting Design -- Tiffany Longworth
Sound Design -- John Duncan, JJ Hawkins
Costume Design -- Brittney Hancock
House Manager -- Chloe Collins
Publicity -- John Duncan
Poster Design -- John Duncan
Photography -- Elizabeth Neal
Props Design -- The Company
Program Design -- John Duncan