Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and Waterford Theatre Royal collaborated on a Shakespeare review production of Othello and last week, produced a performance and critical analysis of key scenes from Othello for Leaving Certificate students in the region.
The hour-long production was directed by Mark Lambert and 1,000 students had the opportunity to see five professional actors interpret the play and talk about this interpretation in a series of short discussions facilitated by Edward Dennison.
Michael Quinlan, Daryl McCormack, Rachel O’Byrne, Michael Power and Jenny Fennessy played multiple roles, exploring the impact of different characters and the ways in which these characters can be presented.
The performance was supported by a booklet of critical essays and extracts from the play produced by the English and Theatre Studies staff in SETU. According to Dr Una Kealy, lecturer in English and Theatre Studies in the Department of Creative and Performing Arts “This collection of critical essays considers and offers insights into the complexities of the characters Desdemona and Iago and the thematic concerns of racial prejudice and war within the play. The feedback from students is that it provides a really useful study resource.” The Othello booklet can be downloaded as an aid to students’ studies at www.wit.ie/wd200.
Dr Kealy continues, “Students who are interested in, or have questions about, studying Theatre Studies at third level should take note of a free workshop in SETU on February 17th entitled Character Study”. The workshop will help students prepare for auditions to college courses in Ireland and the UK and provide an insight in to what it means to opt for Theatre Studies as a part of an Arts Degree. The workshop is free but booking is essential. To book or get further information, contact [email protected] or visit www.wit.ie/theatreworkshop.
For more information on either English or Theatre Studies programmes as part of the BA (Hons) Arts degree in SETU, contact course leader Dr Paul Clogher on [email protected], phone 051 302251 or visit www.wit.ie/wd200. Find Theatre Studies on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheatreStudiesatWIT or on Twitter at #theatreWIT.