Otelo (Othello) (Bittencourt, 2014)

Otelo (Othello)

OTELO, an adaptation of the play Othello written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), is a new production from Persona Cia de Teatro, based in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The premiere took place in 2014, the year in which the 450th anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest writers of the world was celebrated worldwide. The show Otelo was awarded the Prêmio Funarte Myriam Muniz 2013, in the ensemble category and the Prêmio Elisabete Anderle de Estímulo à Cultura 2013, by the Fundação Catarinense de Cultura.

The show tells the story of Othello, the president of an important company, who is led into the trap of his secretary, Iara. She convinces Othello that he is being betrayed by his wife, Desdemona. We thus have the story of a man who is taken to the limits of anger because of his jealousy. Othello falls into the trap of Iara, composed of a cynical and devilish game. This is the matrix of the original work, staged countless times. The play is a work that seeks to investigate the theme of love and jealousy, having as its driving force the very quote by Shakespeare: ‘He that is proud eats up himself’ — Troilus and Cressida 2.3.152, Agamemnon to Ajax.

(Excerpted and translated from description about the show on the company website.)

Direction and Adaptation: Jefferson Bittencourt

Cast: Cleístenes Grött, Giselle Kincheski, Luciana Holanda, Rafael Zanette, Raquel Stüpp and Valéria de Oliveira

Translation: Beatriz Viégas-Faria

Design and Operation of Sound and Light: Jefferson Bittencourt

Costumes: Betinha Mânica

Scenic Design: Jefferson Bittencourt

Props: Roberto Gorgati

Makeup and Hair: Valéria de Oliveira

Poetic Advisory: Roberto Mallet

Photos: Caio Cezar

Graphic Design: Daniel Olivetto

Press Office: Jefferson Bittencourt and Raquel Stüpp

Home-Page: Jefferson Bittencourt

Production: Persona Cia de Teatro

Additional information about the show (in Portuguese)