The Othello Papers

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Playwright: Robert Henry Johnson
Directed by Shannon Fitzsimmons
February 2008

Othello, tired of being the only black person in his literary world�, invites other Black Shakespeare characters to discuss issues and challenges� of how they are and have been portrayed to the world. Othello begins the First Annual Convention for Black Shakespearean Characters. His guests include Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt; Aaron the Moor; the Prince of Morocco; and Caliban. T characters meet and chaos ensues. Caliban, feeling disrespected by Othello, boycotts the convention because he has been delegated to the role of servitude. Othello is trying to contact other black Shakespearean characters via cell phone but his search is continuously interrupted by the disappearance and reappearances of Desdemona's handkerchief.  When an uninvited guest appears, he brings order to the convention, and the characters are challenged to unite and write their own play - a play where the black Shakespearean community presents to the world an excavation of their ancestry and global contribution to the planet.

To learn more about The Othello Papers Project click here.