Othello: The Remix Program

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OTHELLO: THE REMIX

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER & RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS LTD USA | AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE

OTHELLO: THE REMIX CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER & RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS LTD USA | AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE Written, directed and music by GQ & JQ Developed with Rick Boynton YORK THEATRE SEYMOUR CENTRE 23–26 JANUARY 80MINS NO INTERVAL

CREATIVE TEAM CREATORS & DIRECTORS GQ & JQ CREATIVE PRODUCER Rick Boynton SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN Scott Davis † LIGHTING DESIGN Jesse Klug † ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGN Greg Hofmann

SOUND DESIGN James Savage SOUND ENGINEER Palmer Jankens WIG DESIGN Melissa Veal ADDITIONAL VOCALS Sophie Grimm PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Brett Presson*

CAST CASSIO, EMILIA Jackson Doran* IAGO, BRABANTIO GQ* RODERIGO, LOCO VITO, BIANCA JQ* OTHELLO Postell Pringle* DJ Clayton Stamper *The Actors and Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. †The

scenic and costume designer and lighting designer are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of IATSE.

SYNOPSIS MC Othello escapes the ghetto by giving voice to the stories of the people in his hood. Living proof of the “American dream,” Othello is now the reigning king of hip-hop.

He weds Desdemona – the woman whose soulful singing helps propel him to the top of the charts – against all of her father’s objections. Loco Vito, CEO of First Folio Records, sends them on a national tour with the crew – including Cassio, a glitzy pop music rapper, and Iago, a hardcore hip-hop purist. Also in tow is a geeky lighting designer named Roderigo. When Othello decides to release Cassio’s album next, Iago spins his schemes to divide nerd from cash, rapper from crew and husband from wife.

(The cast recording of Othello: The Remix is available online at: chicagoshakes.com/store) JACKSON DORAN Cassio/Emilia CST: A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), Funk It Up About Nothin’ (CST, Edinburgh, New York, Australia, London). US regional: Welcome to Arroyo’s (American Theater Company); Gross Indecency (Bohemian Theatre Ensemble); The Merchant of Venice (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival); The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet (Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival). Awards: Jeff Award – Best Ensemble for Othello: The Remix.

GQ Creator/Director/Iago/Brabantio

POSTELL PRINGLE Othello

CST: A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), Funk It Up About Nothin’ (CST, Edinburgh, New York, Australia, London). G co-created and starred in The Bomb-itty of Errors. Film: Drumline, Taxi, I Think I Love My Wife and Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn.

He wrote, directed and starred in the film Just Another Story (Showtime).

G is a member of the Chicago band, The Retar Crew.

CST: A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), Funk It Up About Nothin’ (CST, Edinburgh, Australia, London).

Broadway: A Free Man of Color (Lincoln Center). Off Broadway: The Seven (NYTW, La Jolla); Song for New York (Mabou Mines). Film and television: Unknown Soldier, Rescue Me (FX), Law & Order (NBC). He is a member of The Retar Crew, who have six free albums available online.

JQ Creator/Director/Roderigo/Loco Vito/Bianca

CLAYTON STAMPER DJ

JQ is the co-director, co-writer, co-star and composer of A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea) and Funk It Up About Nothin’ (CST, Edinburgh, New York, Australia, London). He began as DJ/Composer for The Bomb-itty of Errors. J was the composer of and appeared in Scratch and Burn (MTV) and Just Another Story (Showtime). He is cohost of Smallflower TV, a video blog about natural health and shaving.

Pictured on cover (L to R): Jackson Doran, GQ, Postell Pringle and JQ. Pictured left: (L to R) Postell Pringle and GQ. All photos: Michael Brosilow.

CST: Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), The Winter’s Tale, The Taming of the Shrew, Short Shakespeare!

The Comedy of Errors, Funk It Up About Nothin’. US regional: productions with Marriott Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Little Colonel Playhouse, Joe’s Pub, Roundabout Theatre Company, Provision Theater, BoHo Theatre and Fox Valley Rep. Film: The Insider, The Wire, The Great Controversy and Chrysalis.

SCOTT DAVIS Scenic and Costume Designer

JAMES SAVAGE Sound Designer

BRETT PRESSON Production Stage Manager

CST: A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), Shrek The Musical, Cadre (CST, South Africa, Edinburgh), Murder for Two, Beauty and the Beast, among others. US regional: Court Theatre, Drury Lane Theater, Victory Gardens, Steppenwolf Garage, Goodman, Milwaukee Repertory, Rep Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, among others.

CST: Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), Funk It Up About Nothin’ (CST, Edinburgh, New York, Australia, London), Cyrano de Bergerac, Murder for Two, Twelfth Night, Passion, Hamlet, Seussical! The Musical, Peter Pan, A Little Night Music, among others. US regional: Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, UC-CCM, among others. Awards: Jeff Award.

CST: Othello: The Remix (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Itsoseng, Shrek The Musical. Assistant Stage Manager credits: Romeo and Juliet, Private Lives, Macbeth, Othello, Passion, Troilus and Cressida, The Three Musketeers, Hamlet and A Flea in Her Ear. Chicago credits: Stage Manager for Boleros for the Disenchanted, Magnolia, Turn of the Century (Goodman Theatre). Brett Presson has toured with The Joffrey Ballet and is a stage manager for Blue Man Group.

JESSE KLUG Lighting Designer CST: A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Othello: The Remix (CST, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea, London), Cadre (CST, South Africa, Edinburgh), among others. US regional: Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Lookingglass, Second Stage, Westside Arts, Guggenheim Museum, Milwaukee Repertory, Portland Center Stage, Indiana Repertory, Asolo Repertory, Shakespeare Theatre Company, among others. Awards: After Dark Award, Jeff Award.

MELISSA VEAL Wig Designer CST: A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), The School for Lies, The Madness of George III, Twelfth Night, among others. Canada: Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Mirvish Productions, The Grand Theatre. Awards: two Jeff Awards, four Tyrone Guthrie Awards, 2007 Hurckes Award.

RICK BOYNTON CST Creative Producer Rick Boynton focuses on current and future artistic planning and production and the development of all new plays, musicals and adaptations for CST. Projects include: A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol, Cadre (co-director) (CST, Johannesburg, Grahamstown, Edinburgh), Othello: The Remix (CST, London, Germany, Edinburgh, South Korea), Funk It Up About Nothin’ (CST, Edinburgh, Australia, London), A Flea in Her Ear (CST, Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Three Musketeers (CST, Boston, London), The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Murder for Two (CST, New York).

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS LTD

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is one of America’s largest and most celebrated theatres, producing and presenting a year-round season encompassing more than 600 performances at its home on Navy Pier. Its productions are also featured around the globe at the world’s most venerable theatres and festivals, including the Donmar Warehouse, Market Theatre of Johannesburg, Royal Shakespeare Company, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Grahamstown’s National Arts Festival. Recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, Chicago Shakespeare’s work has been recognised with three of London’s prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards, and by the Chicago Theatre community with 77 Joseph Jefferson Awards for Artistic Excellence. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, CST is dedicated to producing extraordinary classics from the past and present, contemporary dramas, musical theatre and premieres of new works; and to serving as Chicago’s cultural ambassador through its World’s Stage Series, an initiative that brings the world’s most exciting theatrical events to Chicago audiences and presents Chicago Shakespeare’s work abroad.

Richard Jordan Productions Ltd is a Tony-and Laurence Olivier Award-winning London-based production company, having produced over 180 productions in 19 countries including 60 world-premieres and 59 US, UK and Australian premieres by new and established writers winning a variety of major awards. Under the leadership of British producer Richard Jordan, his company enjoys a close relationship with a number of Australian theatres and festivals. Previously at Sydney Festival, he has presented Bigger Than Jesus and A History of Everything.

Described by The Stage newspaper as “one of the UK’s most prolific theatre producers”, Richard has developed and presented works by a range of established and emerging writers and artists. Awards include: the Tony; the Olivier; Drama Desk; Drama League; New York Critics; Broadway.com; Outer Critic Circle; three Helen Hayes; Obie; eight Scotsman Fringe Firsts and two Herald Angels. Richard Jordan enjoys a close association with Chicago Shakespeare Theater with whom he has previously produced Itsoseng, en route, A History of Everything, Cadre, the world tour of the Q Brothers’ Funk It Up About Nothin’ and their new production of A Christmas Carol.

chicagoshakes.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Chicago Shakespeare Theater gratefully acknowledges the following partners who have provided dedicated support for the journey of Othello: The Remix – American Airlines, The Davee Foundation, Julius Frankel Foundation, KPMG, MacArthur Foundation, and the MidAtlantic Arts Foundation through USArtists International in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The development of Othello: The Remix was supported in part by the National Fund for New Musicals, a program of National Alliance for Musical Theatre.

To contact Richard Jordan Productions Ltd email: info@richardjordanproductions.com

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