Desdemona

Overview

Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison and director Peter Sellars offer a radical new take on Shakespeare's Othello.

Making its Australian premiere as part of the Melbourne Festival before stopping in Sydney as a preview of the Sydney Festival, Desdemona tells the story of the titular wife of Othello, and in particular her relationship with Barbary, the African maid who raised her (played by award winning Malawi singer-songwriter Rokia Traore).

The result is a production that challenges the notoriously antiquated depictions of race and gender found in the original play, and promises to leave Shakespeare buffs – and audiences in general – with plenty of food for thought.