Othello

by Sarah Abdalla

Othello is about a black leader in a white society. Shakespeare touches on many issues, including gender, race, social class and betrayal.

The relationship between Othello and Desdemona is extremely significant because a white woman like Desdemona was expected to marry a white man. Being in an interracial couple has never been easy, but Othello and Desdemona have a particularly difficult time. Had Othello not maintained a high status that put him in the top social class, he would not have been able to marry a girl like Desdemona.

Other characters, such as Bianca and Emilia, forced me to question the role of woman. Othello made me realize that women have come a long way. For the most part, women are respected and treated equally in today’s society. We are definitely a progressive nation.

Overall, I recommend Othello and think that that it was well done. The set was really simple and the acting was tremendous. It did feel long at some points, but with the music and the action, I felt like I was living it!

That is why I love theater – you can release the other thoughts and worries that occupy your mind and become a part of the action in front of you.

$10 Student Tickets! Visit http://www.tfana.org/othello.html for more information.

Freshwater

by Mariana Quinn-Makwaia

As I stepped into the Julia Miles Theater, I was greeted by the sound of cicadas. A colorful quilt was hung across the stage as a makeshift curtain and the lighting was designed in such a way that I could almost feel a warm summer breeze - a nice change from the harshness of the weather outside.

Freshwater by Virginia Woolf is about a model, Ellen, and the eccentric artists that she lives with—a photographer, a philosopher, a poet and a painter (her husband). Ellen feels suffocated and yearns for a simpler life, and when she receive a love note from a young sailor, she decides to take her chances.

The comedy was endless. Characters broke from their Victorian accents to drop a side note to the audience in an American drawl, causing a wave of laughter as the actor jumped back into a dramatic rant.

Most of Freshwater was movement and monologues; the dialogue was mostly between the two romantic leads when they met halfway into the play. The physical comedy was fantastic. It was as if the director, Anne Bogart, told each actor to try to upstage anyone speaking. For example, while one actor spoke, another was at the top of a ladder with a wizard's hat on.

Freshwater is a short and delightful play. Every problem is solved with silliness and a constant pulse of wit and intelligence.

$20 Rush Tickets – visit www.womensproject.org for more information.