Acclaimed director Kim Weild (SoA ‘07) is bringing American Moor to Shakespeare’s Globe.

An 85-minute solo play written and performed by African-American actor, Keith Hamilton Cobb, examining the experience and perspective of black men in America through the metaphor of William Shakespeare’s character, Othello.

As an  African-American actor auditions for Othello—the role of a lifetime—he is met with four hundred years of prejudice, racism and privilege as he negotiates with a young, white director who presumes to understand, and ultimately dictate, how to portray the character. An introspective dive into the Western theatrical canon, American Moor challenges the capacity of theatre to fulfill the human longing to be fully visible and embraced, asking the question "who gets to perform Shakespeare?" Addressing the history of turmoil surrounding Othello, Keith Hamilton Cobb highlights the inequities when actors such as Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins and Orson Welles all garnered praise for their portrayal of the title role, yet had to blacken their faces to play the part.

The play is followed by a post-performance discussion, hosted and led by Michael Witmore, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C.

Please RSVP on this page for the post-performance discussion (you'll need to be added to the guest list).

Purchase direct from Shakespeare’s Globe

HERE

Tickets: £15