Contacts:         Larry Aldrich/Sandy Smith                                Michael Seel/Cheryl Rizzo

                        Aldrich & Associates                                         The Theatre @ Boston Court

                        sandy@aldrichpr.com                                       michaels@bostoncourt.com

                        Tel: (562) 436-5156                                         Tel: (626) 683-6883

 

ALL-FEMALE VERSION OF OTHELLO OPENS THE THEATRE @ BOSTON COURT’S FIFTH SEASON

 

PASADENA, Calif., January 9, 2008 – The Theatre @ Boston Court and the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company present the classic “Othello” February 23rd on the Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue. The play, the first in The Theatre @ Boston Court’s fifth season, is directed by Lisa Wolpe with an all-female cast headed by Fran Bennett in the title role, Nell Geisslinger as Desdemona, and Wolpe as Iago.

 

Shakespeare's terrifying story of passion, jealousy and brutal murder, set in ‘30s Fascist Italy, becomes a fascinating exploration of race, gender, power, and politics. With an all-female ensemble playing both men and women, this powerful production promises to crack open the classic text.

 

The ensemble includes Bennett, Geisslinger, Wolpe and Kimberleigh Aarn, Cynthia Beckert, Linda Bisesti, Katrinka Wolfson, Mary Cobb, and Kate Roxburgh. Creative team includes: Susan Gratch (“Cold/Tender,” “Mother Courage,” “Winchester House,” “Bleed Rail”), set design; Soojin Lee (“Paradise Lost”), costume design; Kari Rae Seekins (“Gilgamesh”), sound design; Jaymi Lee Smith, lighting design; Robin Taylor (“Winchester House,” “Bleed Rail”), props; Raul Clayton Staggs, casting; Cynthia Beckert, choreography; Edgar Landa, fight choreography; Landa and Natsuko Ohama, assistant directors; and Rachel Myles, production stage manager.

 

Bennett has previously played the title role of Othello for the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, as well as Margret in “Richard III,” The Duke in “Measure for Measure,” Prince of Morocco and Duke of Venice in “Merchant of Venice” (Ovation Award); “Gilgamesh” for The Theatre @ Boston Court; “Hippolytus” at the Getty Villa; title role in “King Lear” at the Brewery Arts Complex and Fiction Festival in Dijon, France (NAACP Best Female Theatre Performance); and God in the medieval mystery plays in Orvielo and Forli, Italy. She worked for 12 years with the Guthrie Theatre and has performed in numerous TV and film roles and was the recipient of the first AEA/AFTRA/SAG Diversity Honor Award.

 

Geisslinger has played numerous Oregon Shakespeare Festival roles, including Tigress in “Tracy's Tiger,” Miranda in “The Tempest,” Perdita in “The Winter's Tale,” Elma Duckworth in “Bus Stop,” Liesl Schell in “The Visit,” Cordelia in “King Lear,” four characters in “Daughters of the Revolution [Continental Divide],” Puckster and Titania's Fairy in “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” and The Maid in “Idiot's Delight.”

 

Wolpe has been acting, producing, writing and directing for 20 years. Recent credits include directing for the California Shakespeare Festival and performing at Berkeley Repertory Theater. She is on the faculty of Shakespeare & Company and Sedona Shakespeare Institute, and is the founder, artistic director and board president of the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company.

 

The Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company presents all-female, multi-cultural productions of Shakespeare's plays. More than 1,000 artists, ranging from three to over seventy years of age, have participated since the company’s inception in 1993. The company is currently editing a documentary about their work, and preparing to tour internationally.

 

"Othello " previews for six performances beginning February 14, opens February 23 and runs Thursdays through Sundays through March 23. Preview tickets are priced at $17 and regular performances at $32. Senior and student discounts are also available. Tickets can be purchased online at bostoncourt.org or by calling (626) 683-6883. Boston Court Performing Arts Center is located one block north of Colorado at the corner of Mentor Ave. and Boston Ct.

 

“Othello” is supported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Founding Director Z. Clark Branson, Lillian and Jon Lovelace, and the generous contributions of The Theatre @ Boston Court and Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company patrons.

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For reservations to Press Night, Saturday, February 23, 8 pm, contact: sandy@aldrichpr.com

 

CALENDAR

 

The Theatre @ Boston Court and the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company present the classic “Othello,” directed by Lisa Wolpe, with an all-female cast headed by Fran Bennett in the title role, Nell Giesslinger as Desdemona, and Wolpe as Iago. Shakespeare's terrifying story of passion, jealousy and brutal murder, set in ‘30s Fascist Italy, becomes a fascinating exploration of race, gender, power, and politics. Previews February 14 – 16 and 21 - 22, opens February 23 at 8 p.m. and runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. through March 23 at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor, Pasadena. Tickets: $17 previews, $32 regular, available online at bostoncourt.org or the box office at 626-683-6883.