This summer,one of Cape Town’s most iconic and best loved theatres celebrates its diamond jubilee. For 60 years, since its inception in 1956, an annual Shakespeare play has been staged under the stars at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre.
Maynardville’s 60th anniversary coincides with another very auspicious anniversary for the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon as 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 1616. Throughout 2016, theatre companies across the globe will pay tribute to William Shakespeare’s lasting legacy as the world’s pre-eminent playwright.
Having staged Shakespeare for over a decade, Artscape has selected to revive their critically acclaimed 2015 production of Othello in partnership with the City of Cape Town.
Of all Shakespeare’s plays, Othello resonates most within a South African context with its themes of racism, jealousy, passion, obsession and betrayal. These themes powerfully combine in a devastating domestic tragedy that is as gripping today as it was when it was written over 400 years ago. The play is a major attraction for schools all over as it is currently being studied as a Grade 12 set work and is also open to the public.
Melissa Haiden as Desdemona
Pope Jerrod as Othello
Artscape announces that internationally acclaimed Cape Town star, Pope Jerrod, has signed on to play the title role of Othello with Melissa Haiden as Desdemona, Marcel Meyer as Iago, Lee-Ann van Rooi as Emilia, Stephen Jubber as Cassio, Matthew Baldwin as Roderigo, Faniswa Yisa as Bianca, Robin Smith as Brabantio, Daniel Richards as Lodovico and Siya Sikawuti as Montano and The Duke of Venice.