Race, sex and betrayal in ‘Othello’

Hatred and jealousy. Marriage and betrayal. Identity and gender.

American River College's production of William Shakespeare's "Othello" explores these concepts in almost every scene of the five-act play, which opens April 15.

Working with 34 actors for more than three months, director Sam Williams, 52, said he had the cast, time and resources to do the famous tragedy justice. The sprawling ensemble production includes dancing, singing and swordplay in addition to Shakespeare's words.

"I think that if people see (our production), they'll really grasp something from it," said Williams, who is also a theater professor at ARC.

And there is much to grasp in this play, which centers on a general named Othello (Jammy Bulaya), his wife Desdemona (Anemone Jones), and another soldier named Iago (Colin Martin).

Shakespeare once wrote that "ill deeds are doubled with an evil word," a statement that certainly applies to Williams' production, which, despite its period language, isn't set during any particular era.

"I'm not putting it in a certain time of place," Williams said. "I'm pretty much going with Shakespeare. I'm trying to tell his story with my cast here at ARC."

Williams' enthusiasm for the material shows not only in his preparation, but also in the way he has pushed the cast be their best.

"I'm always going to be challenging people to do better, to do more, to go further this way or that way," he said, adding that the cast has "met my expectations at this point."

Actor Colin Martin, 32, who had previously played soldier Michael Cassio in a production of "Othello" with Southern California's Shakespeare by the Sea, said he has enjoyed transforming himself into the villainous Iago, one of Shakespeare's most sinister characters.

In the play, Iago tries to destroy Othello, who passed him over for a promotion, by convincing him that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with Cassio.

"I'm trying to invite (the audience) into my world," Martin said. "I'm not trying to get them to like me or even understand what I'm doing. I just want them to see the inner workings. I invite them into my planning."

Martin said he delved into his own psyche as a way to better understand and act out Iago's treacherous deeds.

"I don't think I'd be able to play him at all if there wasn't a little Iago in me," Martin said. "So I have to tap into that malevolent, angry, jealous side, and make (the emotions) bigger and more animated."

Anemone Jones, 21, who plays the "fair warrior" Desdemona, also said that she mined her past experiences to better understand her character.

"(Desdemona is) so innocent and so naïve that she could never believe that what happens could happen," Jones said. "She realizes that nothing is how she thought it was. Everything has gone wrong. Othello isn't the person that she thought she married and it just becomes this animalistic fight for survival."

Calling the play "Shakespeare's greatest tragedy of love," Jones said that she takes Desdemona in new and unexpected directions.

"I have seen all of the productions of ‘Othello,'" she said. "They always play her really weak and just not as fun as she is. She's a lively character. I feel like nobody has captured that," says Jones.

"Othello" runs from April 15 to May 1 at the ARC Theatre (but no shows during spring break). Tickets cost $10 for students and seniors and $12 for general admission.

frieldp@imail.losrios.edu